Culture Shock
by IfLooksCouldKill
Summary: A/U How will Bulma deal with living under the same roof as a pureblood Saiyan who possesses an entirely different set of cultural norms/behaviors? Can Vegeta cope with life on Earth, or will the culture shock push him over the edge?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Not So Nice To Meet You!

Author's Note: Ok, so I decided to reduce my writer's block and actually write a story based on the original three years time. Hopefully I'll be less prone to long bouts of no posts. Sooo, let's see what all my happy readers have to say about this! PLEASE REVIEW!!

He couldn't comprehend what had happened. Where had he gone wrong? How in Kami's name had he wound up stranded on some God forsaken planet, brought back to life by some botched up wish? Not that he was complaining about it. Hell had been just that, and he'd rather wait till the end of his life to meet his fate. He shivered at the thought, and violently switched channels in his head. What was had he been thinking about… Ah yes, Kakkarot. If it hadn't been for that lousy excuse of a third class idiot, he would have his wish for immortality granted, Frieza would be dead, crushed under his boot, and the universe would be his to rule for the rest of eternity, but no. Things never went his way. He just couldn't seem to catch a break, and now here he was; sitting in the dew covered grass watching a bunch of Namekians, and a hand full of Earth rejects mourning not the loss of their beloved friend; just his misplacement due to the aforementioned botched wish. It was enough to make him bring up. He had not once in his entire life experienced such a display. The concept of love in any form was completely and utterly beyond his comprehension. He'd never witnessed it before, and it made him uneasy, and agitated. He had to put an end to it; for his sanity's sake.

'Idiots, the lot of them.' He thought as he dug the tip of his boot into the grass; uprooting a small patch, creating a divot.

"The earth has a check in station, right? Just wish him back there!" Vegeta groused, mentally cursing himself for suggesting something that would aid the humans in their humanitarianism. They were all a bunch of weaklings.

He went back to digging his boot into the already dirty hole; seemingly fascinated by the carnage.

"Hey, thanks Vegeta."

"hn?"

His eyes shot upward, and came to rest on the abomination known as Kakkarot's offspring. The whelp had his hand outstretched in some gesture that was foreign to him. He was in no mood to decipher it's meaning, and felt no need to socialize with a child that was not his own. Saiyans were known to kill the pups of rival males, but he saw no harm in letting the pup live. He knew he possessed certain traits that his people found unusual, especially for one of his stature, but his reasoning had been muddied up under Frieza's control. He wasn't feeling quite himself, and was extremely out of sorts. He didn't like being free to make his own decisions, and quite frankly, wasn't sure how to. The uncertainty of his future, and his ability to cope with ultimate freedom being more than he wanted to think about caused his mind to subconsciously switch into auto pilot; he did what came natural. He defended himself.

SMACK!

He backhanded the child's small fist, and turned away. Hopefully the mutt would get the hint, and thankfully he did. Once the child was a safe distance away Vegeta allowed his mind to wonder.

'Frieza is dead, Kakkarot is gone, and I'm stuck here on this hell hole of a planet without any means of escape. Sigh, what to do, what to do?'

As Vegeta stood under a tree contemplating his next course of action, he was unaware that Bulma and the rest of the group's occupants had made a decision of their own. He was stirred from his thoughts by the sound of an engine. He cocked his head in interest, and sniffed the air inquisitively. A Saiyan's sense of smell was nearly a hundred times stronger than a humans, and an extremely important aspect to their social society. Saiyan's recognized one another based more on their scent than their looks. Looks could be deceiving when dealing with races that possessed the ability to change their form, and it had become almost second nature to his race. Even Kakkarot, a brain damaged moron, scented the air around his comrades. It was his way of identifying them. No wonder the humans thought it strange that he didn't understand their concept of beauty; or gender for that matter.

He snorted as the exhaust fumes filled his nostrils, and focused on the group that seemed to be congregating around one individual; the blue haired human female. His eyes narrowed as he attempted to scent her, but the plethora of other smells in the area was almost overwhelming. He ceased his attempts for fear of sensory overload. He didn't feel like bringing up.

"Alright, everyone aboard! Next stop, Capsule Corp.!" Bulma chimed happily. She really hadn't planned on bringing the Nameks home with her, but since their home had been destroyed, and she was exceedingly rich; she felt obligated to house everyone who suffered from the devastation.

Vegeta snorted in derision as he watched the entire Namekian village piled into the hover craft like cattle; followed by the Earthling rejects. He watched as the little female made sure everyone was on before making her way up the ramp herself. However, he was confused when she stopped short and turned around with a slightly puzzled look. She seemed to be looking for someone. He too scanned the area, and came up short.

'Daft female, there isn't anyone left.' Vegeta thought in slight aversion. He shook his head before closing his eyes, and returning to his previous thoughts.

Swish, Swish, Swish!

His left eye cracked open as the sound of footsteps in the tall grass came closer in his direction.

"Hey, aren't you coming too? You're gonna need a place to crash. You can stay with me until you feel like leaving!" Bulma said as calmly, and as steadily as her voice would allow. She was still terrified of Vegeta, but didn't have the heart to purposefully leave him out. Something about him screamed at her for attention. She thought that part was crazy.

Extremely put off by her offer, Vegeta quirked an eyebrow in confusion and surprise.

"Why would I want to do that? I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I don't need your help or your fake hospitality." He growled, and bared his sharp canines at her for good measure. This female was annoying.

Bulma took a shaky step back, and curled her hands to her chest; eyes falling to the ground. She had tried her best not to let her fear show, but his very obvious threat didn't go unnoticed, and she couldn't help the tiny shiver of fear that crawled up her spine. She slowly returned her gaze to him, but refused to meet his piercing gaze; she feared what she may see in his eyes.

She watched as his head rose slightly, and his nose twitched. She wasn't even sure he'd done it, it happened so fast, but its meaning was lost to a sudden thought. She gasped silently.

'He wouldn't actually bite me, would he?' Bulma thought briefly before averting her eyes back to his own. She would not be intimidated. Not after all she'd been through. Not by him. If he was going to harm her; she would face her death head on. She suddenly straightened her back and took a step closer to him; wondering briefly as she watched him tense.

"Look, I have a training room you can use that magnifies gravity, and if you really want to, a ship that will take you off this planet." She offered, praying that he would take the latter of her offers. The further away he was, the safer she felt.

"Grrrrrrr."

She watched in what could only be described as morbid fascination as his tail unwound from his waist to curl around her wrist. The grip was not painful, it wasn't meant to be, but as it slowly and deliberately drug her closer to his crossed arms, Bulma's trepidation increased tenfold. She was afraid to move, to speak. A lump had formed in the back of her throat, and she knew she was in trouble the minute her terrified mind registered the sound of her father's shuttle taking off into the distance. Hadn't anyone felt the need to make sure she was aboard? For that matter, how could they not notice her missing? As the sounds of the engine slowly faded away to nothing, Bulma was aware of the harsh reality, and the gravity of her situation. She was alone with Vegeta, and no one would be able to hear her scream.

'Kami, help me.' Was all Bulma thought as she felt her wrist, and body subsequently come in contact with his crossed arms.

He watched the emotions play across her face like the scenes of a movie. He could almost taste her fear; it hung so thick in the air he'd felt the need to get a better scent of it. He'd seen her on Namek, and had to admit he'd never seen such and exotically colored creature. She was the first Saiyanoid he'd ever seen. Human's were the closest beings in the universe that resembled Saiyans, but he had to remind himself that though very similar in appearance, they were much weaker, and their customs were entirely foreign to his own. He was sure she was not as much terrified of what she knew of him, but what she didn't know of him. He was strong, she knew that. He was a murderer, she knew that as well. That was the extent of her knowledge, and that was the source of her fear; her lack of knowledge. For some strange reason the female intrigued him. He was a slave to his curiosity, and for the first time saw no harm in allowing it to take control; what harm could it do?

'Hn'

He allowed his senses to fan out, and once he'd assured himself that no one was close enough to spy. Vegeta gave into a little craving he'd had since he saw the female.

Bulma couldn't help her blush. Of all the things she thought Vegeta would do to her; she was definitely not prepared for this. It became apparent to her that Goku was not the exception to Saiyan curiosity about the opposite sex, and had to stifle a giggle as Vegeta's nose brushed her temple.

'He's scenting me. What in the world possesses Saiyans to do such weird things?' Bulma thought as she recalled all the odd behaviors Goku had exhibited as a child. She had asked him once why he was so intent on smelling everyone, and he'd said the strangest thing about that being his way of knowing someone. She didn't understand then what he'd meant, but over the years she'd started to liken his sense of smell to that of the canine. Dogs recognized people by scent and what they looked like, but they relied more heavily on scent. She guessed that would be the more reliable way; after all, people change their appearance every day.

She couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips. He was tickling her.

With his arms still crossed, and his frown still present, Vegeta used his tail to pull the Earthling female close enough for him to properly assess her status. He inhaled her unique scent a few times before guiltily burying his nose in her silky soft hair. She was definitely interesting. Underneath the dirt and grime, she held the scent of other males on her skin, but was definitely untouched, for some reason he felt himself relax slightly at the thought, and once the different fragrances that played on her skin and in her hair registered; he felt like he was almost playing a game of hide and seek for his senses, and the idea was to find her true scent. He growled softly as he found the soft side of her head.

'Ah, there you are.' He thought triumphantly, as he rubbed his nose against her when he'd finally found her natural scent. He wasn't at all unpleased by it as he'd originally thought. Apparently humans smelled remarkably like Saiyans, albeit a lot sweeter.

He snorted to clear his nose of her. He'd imprinted her scent into his memory. Now, he could find her anywhere.

"Giggle, ok, ok, nice to meet you too." Bulma laughed as she placed her hands on his crossed arms and gave a gentle push.

Vegeta immediately released his tail's hold on her wrist, and allowed her to place some distance between them. As far as he was concerned she smelled rather clean, and aside from her obvious fear of his intentions, she held no scent of deceit; merely the outdoors.

'She is not a threat.' Vegeta's mind finally concluded.

"Fine. I shall take you up on your offer, wench. Now, which was is this Capsule Corp." Vegeta demanded as he pushed his back from the tree he'd been occupying, and strode past her. He was eager to explore his soon to be new domain.

Bulma's eyes flashed in anger, but she bit her tongue. She was still stranded, and didn't want to arouse his anger. He'd just proved her worst fear; his unpredictability. She wanted to make sure he stayed out of trouble, and the only way to do that was to convince him to stay. Her anger would only drive him off. She sighed in irritation as she pointed off into the distance. "Over that way, but we can…AHHH!"

She never got to finish her sentence before Vegeta powered up and blasted off in the direction she'd pointed, leaving her alone in the woods to apparently find her own way home.

"YOU'RE LUCKY I HAVE MY CAPSULES BUDDY!" Bulma screamed at the blue streak that was slowly fading into the red sky.

Sighing in irritation, and muttering something about men from all planets being the same, Bulma popped her air bike, and revved the engine before making the long ten mile drive to her home, swearing the entire time to give a certain Saiyan prince a piece of her mind when she got there, and hunting down a few so called friends, and doing the same.

Author's Note: Ok, so, what do you think? I'm changing things ever so slightly, and giving Vegeta a few interesting quirks. I think it's funny to picture Bulma's reactions to behavior so inhuman. Let's see how she reacts to a few more odd traits. Can you say culture shock? ^_- Read and Review peeps!


	2. Chapter 2

Crossing Boundaries

Author's Note: Thanks to all my readers who left some very lovely reviews. ^_^ I will reward you with this chapter. I hope you like. Let me know if you think I should continue.

How was he supposed to know she couldn't fly?!?! It wasn't like he hadn't just learned to sense ki a few months ago. He was still learning to fine tune his skills. Unfortunately he'd done something that could very well have cost him his life… made assumptions. He'd also done something else, something more dangerous than Frieza and Kakkarot's stupidity combined. He'd underestimated the human race's ability to scare the shit out of him. Now, he was alone in a new place cursing himself for his haste. Damned hind sight. He should have waited for her.

'She screams like a banshee. I wonder if all humans possess that ability?' He thought as he watched her tear a new one into the bald one and Kakkarot's spawn from the safety of a nearby tree. He almost felt sorry for them, almost being the operative word. He believed he had been the recipient of worse torture than the two below were forced to endure. They weren't forced to deal with the golden monster lurking within the walls of the compound. He shuddered at the thought, and wrapped his tail around the tree branch as a way of reassurance that he was well out of sight, and hearing range of the tiny terror. How she could pop up out of nowhere was still a mystery to him. He briefly wondered if it was even human. The ringing in his ears from the blue female's previous assault was only starting to diminish at present. He would have to remember to steer clear of her when she was in the state she was in currently, and avoid the gold one at all costs. God if he'd only known, he would have gladly stayed in the forest, but he had to admit; the female was rather attractive when she was angry. He thought about how it'd all begun, and how he'd wound up in a tree.

********************FLASHBACK TO 2 HOURS EARLIER**********************

He touched down on a large, grassy court surrounded by dome shaped buildings. He'd spotted the cargo ship from earlier, and the Namekian horde below, and assumed his destination to be the same location.

He watched as a golden haired female approached a man dressed in a white lab coat, and attacked his face with her mouth. He smirked in amusement; expecting the unsuspecting males face to be torn off, but cocked his head in utter befuddlement when she pulled away, and his face was still intact. He shook his head in wonder as he watched the female move about the group, ushering them toward the largest of the buildings. The look of apprehension on the faces of a few Namekians gave him heed to be wary of the prattling female. He was unsure of what these humans were capable of. After all, he had only dealt with the Earth's so called special forces. They were supposed to be the strongest this world had to offer, but Vegeta wasn't certain they didn't possess other means of causing harm. He was aware of their affinity for technology, and wasn't stupid enough to put it past them to attempt to kill him with it.

"OOHHH, Well aren't you a cutie!?!"

Vegeta nearly jumped out of his armor at the sudden exclamation that came from directly behind him. He immediately turned to face his assailant; ready to lob their head off for daring to sneak up on him. However, his fist never made contact. For before he was even able to swing his arm down; something had latched onto his elbow, and was dragging him across the lawn in a confused and absolutely dazed state. How the hell this babbling female had snuck up on him was a complete mystery, but he'd be damned if he let it happen again.

"Now, I'll bet you're hungry. Bulma told me you were coming, and said that I should feed you and show you to your room. What a nice girl she is. You're such a handsome young man. It's not every day I get to look at such a physique. Oh well, would you listen to me, I'm a married woman, mind you." Bunny Briefs exclaimed. Unaware of the fact that she was dragging a Saiyan capable of mass genocide across the front lawn.

Why he was allowing this lunatic female to drag him around was beyond him. He wasn't even sure she wasn't carrying some sort of Earth disease that made her behave so neurotically. Anything he'd been thinking minutes ago as he entered through the sliding doors into what he could only assume to be a massive kitchen, and his senses were assaulted with the most glorious smells. He couldn't believe his eyes. There, sitting on a table was a massive assortment of foods. He was on sensory overload. For the first time in his life since his home planet, Vegeta was unable to pick one scent and linger. Each aroma caused his mouth to water. He turned a curious eye toward the golden female, and was actually glad for her sneak attack. If she hadn't of gotten the drop on him, and he had killed her, he wouldn't have been privy to the glorious sight that he now be held.

GROWL!!!

A slight blush darted across his cheeks. He couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten. His countenance darkened at that thought. Frieza hadn't fed him before he'd left the healing tanks, and he hadn't found anything remotely edible on Namek. Normally Frieza rationed his food; giving him only space capsules. They were about the size of what Kakkarot called a sensu bean, and tasted like week old shit. It was specifically made for Saiyans, and contained enough vitamins and minerals to sustain their body for an entire day, but it also allowed Frieza to cut down on the amount, and quality of the foods he fed them. If he recalled correctly, the best thing he'd eaten since he was on his home planet was the Earth's equivalent of a dog that he'd found dead on Frieza's ship. Unfortunately he'd learned later on that night, and into the next week that eating things you found lying around were not as good coming up as they were going down. A lesson he'd learned early on. From that point on he never ate anything that was not prepared in front of him, or in tablet form.

GROWL!!!!!

'Damn it all.' He thought as he tightened his tail around his stomach.

Despite the sudden feeling that his stomach was sucking on his spine; Vegeta's wariness of the golden female stilled him. Why would she be offering him all these foods unless she intended to cause him harm? He'd learned that if something looked too good to be true; it must be intended to kill you. He stared longingly at the table, and his tail dropped dejectedly to the floor. He couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen to him. He started to shake with the desire to just throw caution to the wind and devour everything in his sight, but his body refusing to budge.

Bunny giggled. "See, you are hungry. Go ahead and have a seat. I made this all for you. Goku can eat quite a lot, and Bulma said you can too. I hope I made enough. Well, now that you've been taken care of I'll go see if our other guests need anything. Bulma should be here shortly; she can show you to your room. Ta Ta!" She exclaimed before disappearing through an archway leading to the gardens; leaving an extremely distraught Vegeta in her wake.

'What the hell am I supposed to do with all this?' Vegeta thought despairingly as he stared at all the food before him. Not only was he unsure of its quality; he had no idea where to begin. He clenched and unclenched his fists as he took it all in; safe from the golden haired human for the time being.

This is the scene Bulma walked in on. When she arrived she had intended on giving Vegeta a piece of her mind, but after running into her mother and discovering his location she didn't have the heart to yell at him when she found him. The poor man looked absolutely tortured. He was standing in the middle of her kitchen, and staring at the table like it would vanish at any moment. What she didn't understand was why he wasn't digging in. Goku would have had the entire table cleared within minutes, hell; he probably would try to eat the table.

"Cough."

The tiny sound was enough to catch the distracted Saiyan's attention, and he turned his head to the side in order to fix her with the most withering look he possessed.

'Man, if looks could kill. Sheesh, who tied a knot in his tail.' Bulma thought as she shook her head in annoyance.

"ok… seriously. What's your deal? Hello, food." Bulma said sarcastically as she gestured him toward the table.

He just continued to glare at her in frustration. He wasn't about to tell her anything. His left eye started to tick.

Bulma had heard his stomach growl from outside, and knew he was hungry. She couldn't figure out what his problem was. She was hungry herself, and since he wasn't tapping in; she wasn't going to let it go to waste.

Vegeta watched her intently as she made her way through the kitchen.

"Fine, if you aren't going to eat it; I am. I'm starving." She said, not caring either way as she strode over to the cabinets, and pulled out a plate; then headed over toward the stacked table.

He watched as she took some bread, meat, and other items, and began stacking them together.

Bulma was so preoccupied with making her turkey club sandwich that it wasn't until she reached for the onion, and felt a presence behind her, that she noticed Vegeta was no longer standing where she'd left him.

"AHH, what is your deal?" Bulma yelped, nearly jumping on the table. Vegeta was standing directly behind her; intently watching every move she made. If she wasn't aware of how intense a Saiyan could be over food; she may have been afraid. However, his look was more amusing to her than anything. She could probably get away with anything now that he was focused on the food in front of her. After a moments silence, she shrugged and went back to what she was doing; knowing she wasn't going to get a response from him. His presence behind her wasn't so much threatening as it was annoying. She could feel his hot breath on the back of her neck, and felt the slight brush of his chest against her back as he stared over her shoulder.

She felt smothered.

'Man, what a weirdo!' She thought as she placed the top piece of bread on her sandwich, and licked some mustard from her finger.

Vegeta's eyes followed her finger as it traveled to her mouth, and he licked his lips as he watched her suck the yellow substance from her digit.

"Want a bite?" She asked as she held the completed sandwich under his nose. When he made no move to accept her invitation, Bulma frowned.

"Trust me, it's good. Oh, I'm sorry, you probably don't know what half this stuff is." Bulma said as she smacked her head. She took a quick bite of her sandwich, and set to work making him a few of his own.

"I'll make you a few different sandwiches, and you can tell me what you like best, ok?" She said, happily. It wasn't every day that she got to expose someone to not only a new culture, but new foods.

CLANG!

Bulma turned suddenly at the sound of china on wood, and was surprised to see Vegeta standing in the exact same spot he'd been the entire time, but her sandwich had suddenly vanished.

O_o 'What the…???' Bulma thought as she turned back to finish the sandwiches she'd been working on only to find those gone as well. She then turned to glare accusingly at the man standing behind her. He wasn't fooling anyone. She smiled knowingly.

Vegeta smirked at the human female. She was interesting enough, and even more fun to mess with. If she was going to feed him, then he would let her. Now that he knew the foods were safe to consume; he really didn't need her anymore.

"Ok, now, come on. You have to give me enough time to actually make the food before you inhale it. Did you even let it touch your tongue?" Bulma joked as she as she wiped some mustard from the corner of his mouth, and once again, licked it from her finger.

His eyes shot open at her gall. She had dared to not only poke fun at him, but to actually touch him without his consent. Anyone else would have been dead before they could pull their hand away, but this woman was still standing. He couldn't understand why he didn't just kill them all.

'She said she has a spaceship.' He thought as he grit his teeth, and watched her prepare the rest of his meal.

"Here, eat this. It should tide you over till dinner. We usually eat around six, but I'm thinking it may be more like eight with as much food as she's going to have to prepare to feed you. When you're done I'll show you where your room is. I'll be in the gardens. Come find me when you're finished." Bulma instructed as she set the last of the plates on the table.

Vegeta watched as Bulma walked through a second set of doors, and they slid shut. He then sat at the table and sniffed each plate of food before tentatively eating the contents. After a few plates he began eating at his normal pace, and after only thirty minutes; he'd eaten everything in sight. He could feel the difference in his body already. As much as Frieza liked to believe it true; his capsules couldn't compare to fresh food. That he was sure of. Now came the hard part. Hunting down the female without running into the Golden one; both had headed off in the same direction.

'Grrrr. Stupid female. Like I'm supposed to know where the Fucking garden is' Vegeta thought as he walked through the doors he'd seen the two females disappear through before. Unfortunately he hadn't realized he was walking into what he could only call a labyrinth.

"Son of a Bitch!" Vegeta roared.

He sat down in the middle of the hallway when he came to a fork, and growled in irritation; as his tail unwound from around his waist, and began thumping the ground angrily; leaving cracks in the marble as proof he'd been there.

'Where are you, you little Bitch?' He thought as he suddenly brought his tail up to his mouth, and chewed on it thoughtfully. He stretched his sense out, and concentrated on singling her out.

---- "AH.! There you are!" He snapped suddenly as her scent drifted by. For some reason he was slightly relieved. At least if he moved fast enough the older female wouldn't be able to see him. He smirked at his genius.

He quickly made his way through the different halls that made up the capsule corp. house/compound until he finally found the garden. He stepped through the sliding glass doors, and scanned the area for anything blue. Unfortunately a screeching sound startled him out of his search, and into a nearby tree. He rubbed his ears furiously, and wondered what kind of Earth creature could emit such a terrible sound. His ears were nearly bleeding. He wrapped his tail around the tree branch and looked for the source of the sound, and was horrified to find that it was coming from the Blue haired female.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU JUST LEFT WITHOUT ME… HOW COULD YOU…." Bulma ranted on and on as Krillin and Gohan attempted to slink out of sight. Who knew if she would try to beat them or shoot them with her Uzi. Either way, there was no doubt about it, Bulma was pissed.

************************ BACK TO PRESENT***************************

Vegeta didn't know how much more of the female's bitching he could take, but he vowed to put an end to it. He unwrapped his tail from the tree branch, and slipped to the ground. He silently walked over to the three individuals occupying the large courtyard; completely ignoring the Namekians who hurried to get out of his way.

"Woman, your screaming is ruining my hearing." Vegeta roared as he walked up behind the still yelling Bulma. He smirked in satisfaction as she jumped with a slight yelp before rounding on him in horror.

"Holy shit you scared the hell out of me, Vegeta!" Bulma said as she placed her hand over her heart to calm the rapid beating. She hadn't even heard him come up behind her, and his gruff voice was still something she was getting used to.

"Gohan, come on, let's get out of here before either of those two realize we're gone." Krillin whispered to the terrified child; nudging him in the side as he began to tip toe away.

"OH NO! Where do you think you're going?" Bulma yelled as she saw the boys trying to sneak off.

Vegeta's eye began to twitch at her short attention span. If there was one thing Vegeta couldn't stand it was being ignored. He had just the solution.

"Bitch. You speak when spoken to, or are you to incompetent to understand the simplest of things?" Vegeta smirked. That should get her.

Bulma stopped mid rant as Vegeta's insults finally registered, and it was at that point she hit her red zone. She turned to face the surly Saiyan head on. No more playing nice hostess. This man, alien or not was going to learn his place.

'He did not just say that to me.' She thought as she crossed the short distance that separated the two, and did something that shocked, and horrified the entire occupants of the garden. Bulma included.

She smacked him.

Author's Note: Oh no! Bulma's done it again. Vegeta's been unusually calm and patient, well, patient for him that is. How is Vegeta going to react to Bulma's little tap? Read, Review, and let me know if you like the way this is going. I think this chapter was a little hard to follow, but I'll let you be the judge. ^_^


	3. Chapter 3

Can't Get It Right

Author's Note: Thank you everyone for your awesome reviews. I'll let you in on a little secret. The more reviews I get, the faster I update. ^_^ I'm actually free rollin with this fic. I have no writer's block to contend with, and I know exactly where I want to go with this. Also, understand that in my version Vegeta never leaves, and returns to Earth after searching for Goku. They already have their warning about the future, and such. Don't ask me why, but I felt like eliminating all the side drama that you already know about. So, hopefully that will clear up some future confusion before it starts. Now, without further ado, the much awaited response chapter.

SMACK!

Everyone watched in horror as Vegeta's face twisted to the side with her force; a small red spot forming on his face. His smirk had effectively been wiped of his face. Slowly he turned his face back to the offending female standing a hairs breath away from him, and his countenance darkened sinisterly.

The silence was deafening. Bulma's hands flew to her mouth in shock. She hadn't meant to strike him. She was so used to batting her male friends around that she had simply acted on habit. She knew she hadn't even hurt Vegeta, but that wasn't the thing that had her concerned; it was the fact that she had actually hit him that was the issue. He wasn't her friend, he wasn't an ally. He was still the enemy, and the look in his eyes sent a shiver of terror down her spine. It was like hitting a Pit Bull and expecting it to not maul your face off; not going to happen.

"Vegeta, I'm so sor…" She never got to finish her statement. His hands were around her neck before anyone had a chance to blink. No one had seen him move, but the minute his actions registered in their minds Gohan, Krillin, and a few Namekians tried to pry the enraged Saiyan from their tiny friend.

'It's not working. We're not strong enough. He's going to kill her!' Krillin screamed in his mind as his shaking hands tried desperately to pry Vegeta's fingers off her neck.

He saw nothing, but red hot fury. He hated being struck unless in battle. He'd been struck every hour of every day that he existed on Frieza's ship, and the realization he didn't have to put up with it anymore was more than his mind could comprehend at the time. He had too much rage; too much pent up anger and frusteration. He did the only thing his mind could think of. Eliminate the source of his humiliation; the blue haired human.

It wasn't until her head lolled to the side, and her weak Human/Namekian friend's all let out horrified, and angry cries that his eyes started to clear, and he realized just who, and what he was smothering. His grip loosened considerably; enough for Krillin to wrench Bulma's lifeless body from his now crimson gloves.

'What have I done?' He thought as he stared at his hand in fascination. He was still coming down, and just barely bringing things back into focus.

CRACK!!!

Vegeta's body was sent sailing across the lawn in a matter of seconds. He immediately righted himself; creating a huge, body size divot in the ground. When the dust cleared, and he saw what was happeneing he let out a feril roar; sending the Namekians scattering like cockroaches under a light.. He fixed his eyes on the one responsible and snarled angrily as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth; with his clean glove.

"Kakkarot." He said camly; spitting out a mouthful of blood. His lashing tail the only indication of his current state of rage.

Goku took in Vegeta's posture, and narrowed his eyes; his hair standing on glared at Vegeta, and let out a low growl of his own before turning, and making his way toward Bulma's prone form lying in the grass. His point being made. He knelt down beside his son and best friend who were holding her still unconscious form. He knelt beside her and brushed her bangs from her sweaty forehead, and silently hefted her into his arms; all the while aware of the Saiyan prince's piercing gaze.

'What the fuck just happened?' Vegeta thought as his anger subsided. He sat in the small crater his rough landing had created as he watched his rival carry the small female into the large dome building. He hadn't meant to cause her harm, but when she'd struck him he'd lost control. He was acting completely on instinct. Females never challenged males in his culture; it just wasn't done. If they did, they were immediately put in their place. That didn't mean they weren't held in high regard; far from it, however, the females knew to never disrespect or humiliate a male. They would be forced to defend themselves, and their honor.

Subconsciously his tail once again wound up in his mouth as he pondered the meaning behind everything that had just transpired. He'd insulted the female, the female struck him, he struck back, Kakkarot sent him into a wall, and issued a threat against him if he harmed her again. No, he hadn't missed the low growl sent his way, or the slight raise of his hair, and how he'd bared his teeth. Kakkarot was more Saiyan than he let on sometimes. Vegeta doubted even Kakkarot knew this fact. It all came down to one thing. Instinct.

Suddenly a thought popped into his head out of nowhere.'Is she his mate?' This thought didn't sit well with him for some reason, and he let go of his tail, and lashed it against the ground causing a slight tremor. If she was Kakkarot's mate, that would explain his actions. The kid is smart; much smarter than Kakkarot, and the female is a supposed genius. Vegeta's tail stopped moving, and returned to its resting place around his waist.

He shook the thoughts from his head; they had no place there to begin with. He needed to focus. He needed a game plan, but most of all; he needed to get himself in check. He was not feeling quite himself. Normally he wouldn't have been so easily put off. He needed to think. He needed to regain his proper senses before he wound up biting off more than he could chew. To say he was still shaken up by the events on Namek would be an understatement. He needed to get his barings, and there was no way he could do it where he was.

The Nameks had maintained their distance for fear of evoking Vegeta's wrath upon themselves, and were extremely relieved when he flared his ki, and shot off into the distance. They watched the irate Saiyan vanish, and turned to each other with mixed expressions. The culmination of events happened before anyone could stop them, and after even the lengthiest conversations on the could have and should have; everyone reached the same conclusion. Everything had worked out ok.

**********************

"Is she going to be ok dad?" Gohan asked as he, and Krillin followed closely behind on their way toward the house. They had run into Bunny and Dr. Briefs on their way, and Krillin had filled them in on what had happened. Bunny seemed confused, and shaken up, but Marshal Briefs was just downright enraged. It had taken some time to talk the old scientist and his wife down, but he'd managed. Bunny was currently making something for Bulma to eat once she woke up, and Dr. Briefs was in his lab doing only God knew what.

'Gee. Goku seems really angry.' Krillin thought when his friend refused to answer his own son. Goku never ignored Gohan's questions, and his normally happy features were darkened with something Krillin wasn't sure he wanted to think about.

Goku said nothing as he looked down at his oldest friend, no, sister. Her neck was already starting to bruise, and he was out of sensu beans. He sighed as he opened her bedroom door with his boot, and crossed the plush carpet to lay her on her bed. He still said nothing as he covered her with her heavy comforter, and sat in the beanbag by the window.

"Ya. Physically anyway. She's probably going to be scared out of her wits when she comes to. I better hang around for a bit and make sure she doesn't do anything rash. Your mother sent me to go get you. She said supper is ready. I want you to head on home Gohan, and tell your mom I'll be along after she wakes up." He said as he pat his young son on the head.

Gohan and Krillin nearly fainted. Goku knew food was sitting on a table somewhere and he was turning it down to stay with Bulma. They knew that Bulma was like a mother/sister to Goku, but for him to show it in such an unGoku like way, only endeared him more to his friend and son.

"Ok dad. I'll let her know." Gohan said as he opened the balcony doors and shot off into the horizon; waving his goodbyes to everyone below.

"We'll gosh, Goku, do you need me to do anything?" Krillin asked sheepishly as he leaned over to wipe some blood from Bulma's mouth.

"Na, that's ok Krillin, but thanks. She's fine. She'll be all bruised up, but nothing she can't handle. I'll take it from here." Goku said on a yawn. He gave Krillin a fist bump before watching his friend turn and leave; closing the door behind him, and leaving Goku to his thoughts. However rare an occurrence it may be.

Goku thought about everything, and anything. He had initially been sent to Capsule Corp. by Chi Chi on an errand to retrieve their son from Bulma. He was just glad that he had arrived when he had. A few second later, and Bulma would probably have been dead. He frowned at the thought. Bulma was like a sister to him, and he was extremely protective of his friends and family. She had taken him in, and cared for him when no one else would. She did everything in her power to tend to him; God knew that wasn't easy. She fed him, clothed him, put a roof over his head, hell, she'd even pushed him in the right direction with Chi Chi. Bulma was more than his sister; she was like his mother as well.

'Sigh, poor girl. She just can't seem to catch a break." He growled to himself as he remembered Bulma's breakdown in the living room at Master Roshi's. He hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but he'd just landed with Gohan, and had planned to surprise everyone with the news that he was a dad. Apparently Yaumcha had not only cheated on Bulma repeatedly, but he'd taken to using her as his own personal punching bag.

'Grrrr.' Goku brushed the thought aside. It wasn't his concern. Bulma could, and did handle herself. He knew none of the Earth warriors would dare raise their hand against Bulma to kill her, and she'd asked him to let her handle it. He'd agreed, and boy did she ever take care if it. Goku had made a mental note to never get on her crazy side.

'What to do about Vegeta though. We need him somewhere where he will be entertained, taken care of, and where I can easily keep an eye on him. C.C. would be the best place, but if Bulma wants him out after this; I'm not sure where he'll go.' Goku sighed in frustration. He knew Vegeta wasn't quite himself after the incident on Namek, and despite the gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach that raged for his friend's justice; Goku decided to squash it for his friend's sake. He'd just have to keep a closer eye on the surly prince in the future.

"Hn. Oh, my head. What? Where? Goku? What happened?" Bulma said as she tried to right herself, but fell back against the pillows when her head began to swim violently, she suddenly felt nauseous, and her neck felt like it was going to snap in two. God, it burned to swallow.

"Um, well, you kinda smacked Vegeta." Goku said sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head. He really wasn't as good at things as he thought. Maybe keeping Krillin and Gohan around would have been a better idea.

Bulma's face contorted into one of horror and recognition. Goku knew at that moment he needed to say no more.

'He tried to kill me. Oh, God.' Bulma's entire body shook as her hand shot up to encircle her throat where he'd been squeezing. She felt the sticky blood from where the rough exterior of his gloves had cut into her skin, and couldn't help the initial brimming of tears in her eyes. Why did things like this always seem to happen to her? She turned slowly to place her sad, scared, inquisitive eyes on her lifelong friend; the question shining just as bright as her blue watery eyes.

Goku's heart clenched. He lowered his head to rub the back of his neck as he sought for an answer to her seemingly unanswerable gaze. Vegeta had treated her harshly, and in his eyes she had done nothing deserving of it. Hell, even in her most infuriating tirades, and irrational moments she was still undeserving of harm.

'Sigh, I don't know how to fix this. Hell, this isn't even my problem to fix. Vegeta's going to come back at some point. I hope they can work it out somehow. Well, I guess they have to if… sheesh. My head hurts.' Goku thought as he pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head.

Bulma watched Goku for a moment; gaining comfort from his calmness. Despite what everyone else thought, even his own mate from time to time, Bulma knew Goku was far from intelligent. She had known him longer than anyone, and it was kind of fun when Chi Chi would come to her ranting and raving about something he'd done, and ask her if it was a man thing, or simply a Goku thing. He was definitely a knucklehead. She smiled affectionately at her little, bigger brother, and patted his knee. He'd done his best to calm her. She knew better than to dump her troubles on his already weary mind. He'd had a long stressful time, and she doubted he'd even got to sit down since he'd arrived on Earth.

"Thanks for saving me Goku. I don't know what I'd have done without you." She said on a half smile. Things were still buzzing around in her head, and she couldn't shake the fear that Vegeta had reawakened inside her, and she wondered if he would come back to finish the job when he was sure Goku was gone.

"Bulma. I don't want to tell you what to do, or how to feel. I know what Vegeta did was wrong, but I don't think you should have hit him either. At this point you both owe each other an apology, but I really doubt either of you will man up and do it. I do have one request of you. Think you can do it?" Goku asked with a hopeful smile.

Bulma contemplated Goku's words for a moment before nodding her head. "Sure Goku, what is it?"

"If Vegeta comes back, do you think you could let him stay?" Goku hurried as he slowly pushed himself in the beanbag further away from Bulma's reach. He didn't feel like getting smacked himself. He knew better.

Bulma's eyes flashed in indignation. How could her best friend even ask her something like that. The man had just tried to kill her, terrified her, and now he was asking her to forget about it, and let the crazy back into her home? He was absolutely coo coo for cocoa puffs.

"Goku, I highly doubt you cannot possibly have a reasonable guess at what I'm about to say." Bulma bit out harshly.

His eyes fell. He knew Bulma was a very sensitive girl no matter what kind of front she tried to put on. She had always been insecure, though for the life of him he at first couldn't figure out why, and that had caused her to act the way she did. He'd found later on that most people that claimed an acquaintance with Bulma or tried to date her simply did it out of greed. They wanted Bulma's money and fame, not Bulma. Yaumcha was no exception, but everyone had thought he would be. Despite being surrounded by people on the daily, and at one point having someone to care for romantically Bulma was lonely. Goku could tell. He knew her better than anyone, and he was able to see right through the fake bravado, and plastic smiles. It killed him to force anything on her, but desperate times called for desperate measures. He just hoped he wasn't pushing things to hard.

"Ya, actually I don't even have to guess, but I'm not really asking you to do it because you want to. I'm asking you to do it because you're the only one who can do it. You know you're the only one who possesses the things to keep Vegeta entertained. We need him for this fight Bulma, and I don't want to have to take him out because he's causing trouble out of boredom." Goku deadpanned. He hated being straightforward and harsh with Bulma, but sometimes he knew she needed to be told what to do, not asked.

Bulma's eyes widened at Goku's implication. She knew what he was getting at, and despite her urge to argue; Goku left her no room. Typical. He somehow always roped her into something without leaving her any possible out. How he did it was beyond her, but she vowed to figure it out one day.

"Sigh, ok Goku, you win. I just have one favor to ask." Bulma asked as she chewed on her bottom lip nervously.

"Sure. Anything." He smiled.

"Can you please be here when he comes back. I… I just don't feel safe around him. I don't want to be left alone with him again. Who knows what else he may try to do."

Goku noticed her tremble slightly, and completely understood what his friend was trying to imply. He didn't know the other Saiyan very well, but he highly doubted Vegeta to stoop so low as to take a woman against their will. However, he'd done so many other horrible things, Goku wasn't about to call her fear unreasonable. If only for the simple fact; they really didn't know what kind of man Vegeta was, or wasn't.

"Of course I will B. I'll let ya know when I sense him in the area."

"Thanks Goku."

He stretched his large arm around her small sholders and hugged her as he stood. He gave her a lopsided smile before ruffling the top of her hair. He knew she hated it, but he couldn't help messin with her.

"Well, I've got to go. Chi Chi is probably worried sick, and I still need to eat dinner. I'll see ya later!"

"Bye Goku!" Bulma yelled after her friend as he placed two fingers to his forehead, and vanished out of sight. Now what was she supposed to do. Slowly and carefully she crawled out of bed and over to her changing table. The minute she stared at her reflection in the mirror her fear of Vegeta grew. There were black and bloodied bruises all over her neck. Perfect finger marks blurring as his much larger hands wrapped fully around her much smaller neck.

'How could I have been so stupid.' She thought as she fingered the tender flesh, and let out a hiss of pain. God, it even hurt to barely touch it. How was she supposed to hide these monstrosities? She gave up on her reflection, and decided to take a nice hot soothing bath. She'd gone at least three months without out proper hyigine, and she'd be damned if she slept in her space suite one more day.

'This is just what I need. I'll take a nice long bath, sleep the rest of the day away, and in the morning I'll go on a shopping spree followed up with a trip to the spa. Oh, I just can't wait; I should invite Chi Chi.' Bulma thought as she reached into her pants pocket and pulled out her Blackberry.

She punched in the number, but it went directly to voicemail. She figured it would, so, after leaving a brief message she ended the call, and tossed her phone on the bed. She then stripped out of her spandex space outfit, and threw it in the trash. As worn as it was, she knew there was no saving it. She then grabbed a towel from under her bathroom sink, and started the bath. She poured in her bath salts specifically designed to sooth aches and pains, and was about to get in before remembering her headphones. She quickly ran back into her bedroom, and grabbed her ipod then all but melted into the welcoming swirling water. She let out a moan of pure bliss, and sat stationary for a moment before reaching over to the back of her toilet and grabbing the book of matches to light her candles. Once that was done she donned her earphones, closed her eyes and laid back; all worries of the day forgotten.

'Tomorrow is going to be different.'

Author's Note: Ok, I know it wasn't as good as I would have liked it to be, but I just got tired of messin with it, and decided to end it there. I like the idea of Goku not being a total twit, but what do you think? Read and Review, and I may continue the quick updates. Later childins' ^_^


	4. Chapter 4

Despite All My Rage

Author's Note: You guys rock! Thank you for all your encouraging reviews. I know my explanation was a little sketchy, but for time and sanity sake. I just kind of threw trunks arrival in with their arrival on earth. I really just didn't feel like messin with the whole Vegeta leaves, returns, trunks comes, etc. We all know that, and I wanted to just skip it. Call me lazy…lol. Anyway, another chapter for you! ^_^ THIS ONE TOOK ME FOREVER TO WRITE!!! I really have to cut back on the long chapters.

************************** Somewhere in the wilderness***************************

His tail lashed around as if it had a mind of its own; an insane mind. He sat at the top of a sand dune in some remote land of Africa overlooking a tiny village. He watched as the people went about their business without a care in the world. He snarled, and gnashed his teeth at their primitive ways. Every race of human on this planet lived a completely different way. They acted different, ate different foods, lived differently, and pretty much did everything different. For some odd reason he'd found these hut dwelling, loin cloth wearing, spear carrying, dark as night humans extremely interesting. He saw certain behaviors that were familiar to him, and he couldn't help but continue to watch them; his curiosity having been perked. His tail ceased its fanatical lashing, and settled into a more contented sway. He continued to watch their activities as he thought about everything that had happened to him up to that point.

He shifted his position when he felt his joints starting to cramp, and realized he had been sulking well into the evening. The sun was setting over the horizon, and he'd only just begun to think about where things had apparently gone wrong. He found out through kakkarot's earlier display that his actions had been completely taboo. Apparently it was not socially acceptable in any circumstance to strike or raise a hand against a female. He found that out the hard way. Thinking back, when he left he was in such a rage that he couldn't have cared less what happened to the annoying blue haired female, hell she could be dead for all he cared, but for some strange reason when he thought about it now that he had a clear head it left a bitter taste in his mouth. For some reason he was hoping the female was still alive. He wasn't even sure if she was Kakkarot's mate or not, but he was starting to wonder. He'd been wrong about a lot of things lately, and had decided to make sure of where each human stood before interacting with anyone. During his little excursion he'd found humans to have an extremely complex set of socially accepted behaviors, and an even more complex set of rules governing male, female relations, and acquaintances.

A slight blush tinted his cheeks when he'd come to realize that humans were prone to maintaining at least an arm's length from friends and family members, and an even greater distance with strangers. Saiyans held no sense of personal boundaries; they got as close to one another as they felt comfortable with, and to hell if the other didn't feel the same. Apparently he'd made the female extremely uncomfortable, and his earlier actions, which were normal by Saiyan standards, but could have and most likely had been considered a sexual pass. That had definitely not been his intent.

GROWL!!

'Shit, really?' He thought as his stomach let out an angry rumble; making its presence known. He wondered briefly if he should return to the compound, and see if he could possibly make amends with the female, and convince her to allow him residence. Her facilities were the only one's he'd seen worthy of a prince, and he'd be damned if he lowered his standards for any reason. The only question left was how he was supposed to win the female over. He was completely unaware of human interactions, and what the normal course was for making amends. Saiyans who had disagreements usually fought to the death; there had never been the need for reconciliation. He was really shit out of luck, especially with his minimal understanding of Earth cultures, and terminology.

He was suddenly drawn from his internal struggles by the sudden commotion in the village below. The males had just killed a gigantic wild boar, and were being welcomed by the females, children, and elderly of the village. Once the greeting was over the males handed off the carcass, and proceeded to sharpen their spears while the children piled wood in a circular ring. Once the wood was in place he watched the males gather stones then circle the fire, and attempt to use them as strikers for the flint.

'Hn, that wood is wet. They'll never get a fire like that.' Vegeta thought neutrally.

As he watched the males of the tribe attempt to light a fire to cook their catch of the day, he had to hand it to the humans; they were quite capable to some extent. He'd seen the hunt, and despite their incredible weakness, and inferiority in his eyes, they were able to take down beasts at least five times their size with mere sticks.

FWOOOMMMPHH!

He smirked when the males jumped back from the pile of wood they were trying to set on fire with shrieks of surprise. The fire raged toward the heavens, and one lone child took notice of where the fire's source sat, unbeknownst to the surly Saiyan male.

It was getting dark, and the meat was spoiling so he'd decided to give them a hand. Vegeta had a hard time ignoring simple things, and his new found appreciation for food drove him to lend the males a hand. Besides, those males had searched all day for their kill, and had even lost one of the older males in their effort to bring it down.

He watched as the females prepared the meat with their spices and placed it in strips over the fire. His nose twitched as the delicious smells wafted his way, and he couldn't help the saliva that gathered under his tongue.

Tap!

Vegeta's back went ramrod straight, and he slowly turned his head to the side in aggravation. He'd smelled the small child a few yards away, but felt she posed no threat. His nose twitched again as he regarded the child with no more interest than a person would an ant. After a brief inspection he turned his head, and continued to watch the preparation of the meat.

"Nandano, kalia ma."

Vegeta bristled. The child was trying to communicate in a language he'd not been fortunate enough to pick up from his scouter. He growled low in his throat, and gnashed his teeth at the small girl. She was starting to annoy him. He curled his tail around his waist defensively.

The small girl gasped and placed her small hands over her mouth in fear, but quickly recovered. Her eyes darted to his tail, and she surmised that he was nothing more than a big man, lion. She'd never seen anyone that looked like him, and his hair looked like a mane. She giggled and patted him on the head before scurrying off; motioning for him to follow her.

Vegeta lashed out at the child for her offense. He was no dog to be petted, and he certainly wasn't to be laughed at. However, her quick decent of the dune tore her mere seconds away from losing her head to the backlash of his palm. He sneered at the misfortune. He'd planned on eating the child.

He watched as she made her way over to one of the older males, and speak to him in a hurried voice, pointing and clicking as she spoke. He knew what was coming next, and his tail bristled. He hated welcoming committees.

The male stood from his spot by the fire, and gathered the rest of the men to his side. They listened to the little child, and one by one each male in turn took their spear in hand. Vegeta's eyes narrowed distrustfully.

With a feral growl he slowly stood from his spot on the dune, instantly drawing the villager's attention. His tail swished about, clearing his backside of any residual sand before returning to its place around his waist. Gracefully, and with the precision of a trained killer, he calmly walked down the dune toward the little girl who had just welcomed the lion into the zebra herd. He licked his canines in anticipation. He could smell their fear, and his appetite grew. Gasps could be heard from every direction, and Vegeta sneered at them in hatred.

The males, females, and elderly alike fastened steadfast gazes upon the intruder. The males presented their spears as a warning, and a few dared to speak to him. He simply crossed his arms, and allowed his tail to swing lazily behind him.

Out of the corner of his eye Vegeta spotted the strips of meat that were hanging from the fire, and he raised his nose to get a better smell.

As the rest of the village stood frozen, Vegeta watched as the little girl from before casually walked over to the fire, took the largest piece of meat in her tiny hands, and offered it to him with a smile. She liked her fully looking new friend.

Vegeta cast a wary glance around the village before accepting the piece of meat, and scarfing it down without hesitation.

The reaction was instantaneous. The males discarded their weapons, and the entire village returned to what they had been doing prior to his entrance. Vegeta stared on in complete shock. He was appalled at how easily humans welcomed outsiders into their groups. Apparently they welcomed outsiders with food offerings, and he'd apparently passed their little test. He eyed the small girl, and smirked wickedly.

'This will be interesting.'

Vegeta, without saying a word, stalked over to the fire, and quickly began inhaling every strip of meat without abandon. This didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the villagers, and one male made his sentiments known. Even the most primitive tribes on Earth had manners, and Vegeta was overstaying his welcome. Once he'd eaten their entire kill, Vegeta then blew out their fire. They had served their purpose, and now came the fun part. He bared his fangs as he drew himself to his full height, and prepared for his onslaught.

The villagers all gasped, and some cried out in anger. The small girl ran up to him and took hold of his tail; trying to drag him away from the angry adults. She simply thought her new friend didn't know what he was doing, and was trying to drag him off somewhere safer. Her daddy could be real mean when he wanted to be.

Unfortunately for the little girl; her good intentions were wasted on Vegeta. He growled in warning; one the little girl simply refused to heed.

Vegeta reacted instantly, and the villagers screamed in horror as they watched the little girl's head topple from her body in a bloody mass. He smirked as he watched her tiny body convulse from the violent beheading. He caught the carcass with his tail before it hit the ground, and the villagers watched in horror as he tore of one of her arms, held it over their fire for a few seconds, brought it to his nose before tearing the flesh from the bone and eating it.

He smirked at the eldest male, and after ripping of her other arm and performing the same ritual offered it to him with a wicked smile.

Tears of anguish streaked down the face of the little girl's father. He was unable to comprehend what he was seeing. He watched his daughter's body being devoured by a demon in the night, and he thought of little else than revenge as he charged the tailed monster with all he had.

Vegeta merely licked the girl's blood from his glove, and watched the men charge him. He tossed her body aside, and crossed his arms.

'Hm, dinner and a show. These humans really know how to throw a party.' He laughed.

Some of the men were throwing spears which either splintered against his armor, or bounced off his tough hide. He laughed at their pitiful attempts. Those spears may be able to bring down a boar, but not a Saiyan. He was done playing with his food.

'Foolish humans. Now, play dead!' He thought as he crouched down, and lunged at the horde of unsuspecting men. One by one he ripped them limb from limb, men, women and children alike. He slaughtered them without remorse as he allowed all his anger, sorrow, and pain pour out in a maddened frenzy of rage. This was the only way he knew to get rid of the pain; by inflicting it upon others.

When the rage cleared Vegeta surveyed the destruction. He was covered in blood, dust, and gore, but he didn't care. Bodies lie mangled all around, and the village was in shambles. It looked as if a rabid beast had ripped through the village, not a man half crazy. Vegeta smirked in satisfaction, and licked his lips. He was rather proud of himself. Now that he'd found himself a meal, and gotten a hold on his Barings, he felt he could return to the Capsule Corp. compound. He was completely at ease, and relaxed. His tail swished lazily in the air as he hovered over the vast lands, blood splattering with each swing.

'Well, that was fun, but enough petty games.' Vegeta thought as he powered up, and blasted toward his new domain. Soon, he would reach his goal of Super Saiyan, and he would show Kakkarot what happens to anyone who messes with the prince of all Saiyans.

**********************Back At Capsule Corp.***************************

Bulma had gotten out of her bath, and was relieved to find her mother had prepared her a nice meal. Apparently Krillin had told her parents about what had happened with Vegeta earlier, and her father had gone to the labs to work out his anger. Dr. Briefs was a very gentle man. He'd never raised his hand to anyone in anger, but when he was angry, he produced wonders the world had never seen. Bulma was proud of her father, and admired his steadfastness. He was her anchor. When things went all pear shaped, he was there to make her see, but right now, he was in need of a little insight.

"Mom, I'm going to go talk to dad." Bulma said as she reached around to peck her mom on the cheek.

Mrs. Briefs nodded her head in acknowledgement as she placed another piece of her puzzle on the edge. She was never a very intelligent woman, but she had enough wisdom to know when to leave her husband and daughter to their own. Now was one of those times.

Clang Clang

Dr. Briefs was pounding away at a piece of steel. He'd removed his lab coat and shirt because he'd worked himself into quite a tizzy within the last few hours, not to mention he was standing right next to a raging hot fire furnace.

Bulma smiled at the sight. She'd thought her father had given up on his old pastime, and her heart swelled with glee as she watched her father place the steel back into the hot coals, then pull the red hot piece back out, hammer it some more, then place it in a cool bucket of water before repeating the process.

"Whatcha makin this time dad?" Bulma asked as she picked at a few strands of her long blue hair.

Dr. Briefs stopped hammering, and placed the steel back into the coals. He hadn't even noticed his daughter standing there. He took his gloves off, and moved to stand in front of her. He tilted her chin up, and studied the bruises the brute had left on her. He snarled in anger before he ripped his gloves back on, pulled the piece out of the fire, and began hammering the shit out of it, pretending it was Vegeta he was beating.

Bulma sighed as she shook her head. She loved her father, but she definitely knew where she got her temper. She was her father's daughter. She did however inherit her mother's affinity for forgiveness, and after her talk with Goku and a two and a half hour bath, had decided to give the brute a second chance.

"Dad, I want him to stay."

Dr. Briefs hammer flew out of his hands and crashed somewhere in the lab. Both cringed at the terrible sound.

"No." Was his reply.

Bulma watched her dad work for a few more minutes. He was rather muscular and definitely strong for a man his age. She laughed to herself though. His lavender hair, moustache, and coke bottle glasses made him look like a super nerd. God, she'd been hanging around the guys too long.

"Dad, I know you're pissed, but hear me out. He's had a really rough life. No, I'm not saying that's an excuse, but it is a reason. He doesn't know any other way. If he does it again he's out, but please, just let him stay. I'll look after him. You won't even know he's here." Bulma begged as she clasped her hands together, and stuck out her bottom lip in a pout.

"Sigh, Bulma, Vegeta isn't a stray animal that you found on the playground. He's a grown man, and I don't feel comfortable letting him stay here. Who knows what else he is capable of? I'm not going to put my family in danger. The answer is still no." He groused, his moustache twitching in irritation.

Bulma would not be deterred. "Dad, we need to keep an eye on him. He is more likely to cause trouble out of boredom than if we keep him entertained here. We have the gravity room he can use, and Goku says we need his help to defeat these androids. Dad, just one more chance, that's all I'm asking." Bulma said as she sat on the table across from his work station.

Dr. Briefs removed his glasses, and rubbed his eyes. He knew Bulma wouldn't quit until she got her way. Normally he wasn't one to give into her demands, but this time she had a point.

"Alright, he can stay, but one more incident, and he's out." He said as he raised the piece of steel in the air for inspection.

"Thank you daddy." Bulma smiled as she flounced over and pecked his cheek. She looked up at the sword in his hands, and smiled. She slowly motioned for him to let her see it, and he gladly settled the weight in her hands.

"Dad, I think that's the most beautiful one you've made to date." She said as she inspected the handle. It was a reverse blade sword with an ivory and jade encrusted handle. She gently returned it to his hand, and smiled at him. She loved her father more than anything.

"Go on. Go find your little lost puppy, and tend to him before he bites someone." Dr. Briefs joked as he shooed his daughter out of his personal lab. She obliged, and once the door was shut he locked it behind her.

"Now, let's see how well you were crafted." He said as he lowered into a fighting stance, and performed a few sword wielding katas. How he missed the old days.

Bulma had just reached the top of the steps, and was heading toward the closet to grab her coat when her mother let out a bone chilling scream. Bulma sprinted the rest of the way down the hall, and nearly slid past the kitchen in her haste. Her eyes nearly fell out of her head at the sight that greeted her. Her mother was frozen in place at the kitchen table, and Vegeta stood in the doorway covered in blood, and gore; his hand at his sides dripping blood on the linoleum. He looked like he'd just come up from the pits of hell, and Bulma had to suppress a shudder.

She walked as quietly and as calmly as she could to place herself between her mother and the grisly sight before them.

"Mom, go prepare the guest bedroom." Bulma ordered, and her mother wasted no time obeying.

Once they were alone a cold chill ran up Bulma's back, and she had to force herself to look him in the eye. She was terrified of him, now more than ever before, and she was certain he knew it.

She slowly raised her eyes to his, and nearly fainted at the lifelessness they held. She could see nothing in their depths, and for a moment, she held her breath; averting her gaze. This was it.

She tentatively reached out and placed her small hand in his much larger one; immediately shivering as the blood dripped down to cover her. She then returned her eyes to his as she slowly and gently gave his hand a tug while she turned into the house.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up." Bulma whispered, fear and trepidation seeping from every pore.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt his large hand take hold of hers gently, and he moved to follow her up the stairs to the bathroom. Neither said a word as she left him standing in the middle of the large bathroom while she retrieved the toiletries necessary to rid him of his filth.

"Ok, I think this is about everything. This should take the blood out. Here, you take off your clothes, and put them in this basin so I can wash them. The rest is up to you. Here's the shampoo for your hair, some soap, and this is for the stubborn blood stains. Don't use it on your privates or you'll be sorry. Here's your towels, I got you two, and if you need anything else just press the intercom." Bulma instructed quietly as she set out everything he needed, and turned on the shower.

Vegeta watched her in a daze. Her neck was completely covered in bruises, and no matter what she may have tried to use to conceal them he doubted any would work. What was more baffling was her behavior. She was shaking from terror, yet she was tending to him as if it was the most natural thing to tend to a man covered in someone else's blood. He wondered what was wrong with her. Had he damaged her somehow he was unaware of? He cocked his head. No, he didn't think so.

"Gah! Don't do that! It's covered in blood!" Bulma all but gagged as she turned from the shower, and saw Vegeta chewing on his blood covered tail. She didn't even think about the consequences as she pulled his tail from his mouth, and began wiping the blood from his tail with a warm wet cloth.

Vegeta's eyes nearly rolled to the back of his head. At first he'd been about to lob her head off for her audacity, but the minute she began stroking his tail with the warm wet cloth his entire body turned to jello. He'd never felt such a sensation. The combination of warmth, and her gentle hand seemed to sooth his entire body. A sudden thought rang in the back of his mind.

'You killed an entire village for less than what this little whisp of a female has done, yet here she stands, why?'

His eyes widened slightly at the sudden epiphany.

The low warning growl reached her ears, and she darted her startled blue eyes to his, and immediately realized what she'd accidentally done. She'd been around Goku long enough to figure it out. She blushed, and immediately released his tail.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. I wasn't trying to hurt you or anything. Here." She said as she wiped the blood from his mouth, and reached out her hand palm up, a sheepish smile on her face.

His eyes glinted with something unfamiliar to her, but Bulma smiled when he apparently accepted her apology. He gently took her hand in his and brushed his nose against her wrist; taking in her scent, his eyes never leaving hers. He was surprised at her apparent knowledge of some Saiyan customs. A person's scent was strongest nearest the pulse points. It was how Saiyans read one another. Just as he could smell her fear, he could smell most any other emotion. Her offering her wrist not only showed him she meant no harm, but that she was willing to present him a weak point to prove herself legitimate. He trailed his nose from her wrist up her hand, and to her fingertips. He nipped her middle finger before shoving her hand away. She had appeased him, but was starting to make him uncomfortable. It was unnerving how she could put him at ease with her calm demeanor, and gentle hands, yet still be terrified beyond belief of him. Why would she feel the need to make him comfortable around her when she clearly was anything but comfortable around him? She looked as if she wanted nothing more than to run.

"Ok. I'm gonna leave you to it. Do you need anything before I go?" Bulma asked hesitantly. She prayed he wouldn't say yes.

Vegeta had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from answering with a snide comment. Things were going well, and he wanted to make sure this female was willing to offer him assistance in the future. He would bide his time until the perfect opportunity presented itself.

"No. I believe I can take care of it from here, female." He said in a tired voice.

Bulma offered him a weak smile, and disappeared out the door with his dirty clothes in tote. Once the bathroom door was closed, and she heard him slide the shower closed, Bulma leaned against the door, and slid to sit by it; looking at the clothes in her basket. She could tell that the carnage was not from some animal. There were fragments of cloth within the mass. She shuddered at the thought, and held her tears at bay with the back of her hand. He terrified her, and she didn't know how long she could hold herself together. She sniffled as the tears began to fall.

"Oh Vegeta, what have you done?"

Author's Note: Ok, I hope that chapter put a few things into perspective for everyone. I'm trying to make Vegeta a little more sinister in this fic. But I don't know exactly how I'm going to achieve that. I'm also going to tone Bulma down a little bit, and Goku is going to have a bigger role in this one. ^_^ I like how Goku and Vegeta interact, and I think it would make for some funny Shenanigans later on. Thanks you everyone for all your support, and lovely reviews. I'm also open for some suggestions, and pointers. I tend to drift a little in my writing, and can use a little herding. Me and my rabbit trails…lol.

Rin's lantern: Thanks. I'm really tryin to keep the Bulma/Goku relationship in perspective. Thanks for seeing that ^_^

MK08: Im glad you like my version of Goku. I know in the series he seems a little retarded, but to me he seems a little more on the cheeky side. He knows what he's doing, and actually I think he antagonizes Vegeta on purpose. Like a little brother. ^_^ I'm going to try and capture that aspect later.

Randomgirl: Ya, like I said. I'm just being lazy. I threw trunks in around the same time as their return from Namek. I just didn't feel like going in circles with the coming and going. Sooo, ya. It should flow the normal route from now on. ^_- Hopefully.

Zana2: Thanks. I'm trying to keep the updates coming, but since my chapters all tend to be on the long side; it takes a while. I think I've officially become the poster child for carpel tunnel. -_-

Mende5525: Your wish is… well. I'm trying to update as fast as I can. Ouch… cramp in my wrist!!!

B: Updating as fast as humanly possible. ^_^


	5. Chapter 5

Dreamless Sleep, and Restless Nights

Author's Note: I'm so glad you all are enjoying this story. I was worried about introducing certain aspects of Vegeta's personality into this story for fear of losing some of my readers. This story may get a little dark at times, but I promise to follow it up with something light. ^_^ I also wanted to point out that THIS IS MY STORY!! VEGETA WILL HAVE A TAIL IF I WILL IT SO!!! Lol. Now that I have that little rant off my chest. Thanks for recommending a beta Anonymous. I guess I could use one (whatever that is) If there are any takers I'll be ever so grateful. (Even though I have no idea how a beta works -_- !) Thanks for all the encouragement and I'll update on the regular as long as the reviews keep coming! REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!!! I love me some reviews. ^_^

She sat outside the bathroom door for a few more minutes before she rose to take his soiled garments to the laundry room. Normally her mother dealt with the domestics, but she wasn't about to shove this mess in her direction. No, she told her dad she would take care of Vegeta, and by Kami, she was going to keep her word.

She held the basket under her arm, uncaring if the blood soaked through her black tank top. She could just wash it with his soiled garments anyway. She slowly made her way down the stairs, and let out a grunt as the door gave resistance to her push. It had come off the track a while back, and wouldn't slide once the motion sensor tripped. However, with a little push, one could open the door just as you would any other. She sighed in irritation, and puffed a few strands of loose hair from her face as she settled the tub onto the folding table across from the washer and dryer. She was going to have to fix that door some day. Her poor mother, she didn't know how the woman dealt with it on the regular. It was a really heavy door.

'Oh, gross.' She thought as she tossed his boots to the floor, then hefted his extremely heavy breastplate from the bin, and dropped it on the floor with a resounding thud beside the boots. Blood and grime splattered everywhere, and she nearly wretched as speckles of blood landed on her bare leg and covered her hands, but she contained herself. She simply began the tedious task of adding the detergent, setting the washer, and wringing out his spandex suit before tossing it, and his gloves into the mix. She watched in morbid fascination as the once crystal white and shiny water soon turned into a bubbling bloody mess.

'HNHHnnnnn' She slammed the lid shut, and rushed into the connected bathroom where she fell to her knees and promptly wretched into the open toilet. After she was certain she had emptied the entire contents of her stomach she reached up and flushed the toilet before collapsing on the plush mat, and sobbing her grief.

'How many people did he kill, oh Kami, how can I let him stay her? How can I act as if he's done nothing horrible? He ate them, oh Kami, he ate them.' She cried, suddenly feeling her nausea returning. She flew from her position on the floor and heaved into the toilet, but there was nothing left. She heaved a few more times, and was horrified to see tiny spirals of blood in the basin water. She quickly stood and turned on the tap. She cupped her palms under the heavy stream then brought them to her mouth and drank. She spit the rest of the metallic tasting water into the sink, turned off the tap, and stared at herself in the mirror. She was disgusted with herself. She shuddered to think what her mother and father would do if they found out about Vegeta. She shuddered at the thought herself, but she'd promised Goku, and begged her father. She had no other choice.

'He's a cannibal.' She thought absently before correcting herself. 'No, sigh, he's not a cannibal. He isn't human. He may not know any better. No, scratch that, he knew. He knew damn good and well that what he did was completely and morally wrong. No, he knew it was sick and demented, and he did it anyway. He did it because he could. He did it because he wanted to. No one forced him to kill those innocent people, whoever they were, and Kami help me I'm going to put an end to this, even if it kills me. He is going to learn.' Bulma thought as she walked from the bathroom with a new found determination.

She crossed over to the washer, and glared at the tub that once held Vegeta's bloody armor, and in a fit of helpless rage threw it across the room. It hit the far wall with a loud bang, and barely covered her cry of anguish. She tried to calm her frantic breathing, and ran a hand through her frazzled hair as she felt her complete and utter helplessness in the situation sink in. She was helpless, and that was something Bulma Briefs hated being.

"What am I going to do with him?" She whispered into the dim light of the laundry room dungeon.

CRASH, CLANG, CLANG, CLANG, GRAAAAARRRGGHH!!!!!

He reared his head from under the hot spray, and tuned his ear to the sound. It was that blasted female, but it was coming from below. He angled his gaze toward the drain for a moment, and watched the red rivulets of blood wash from his body. A few chunks of meat clogging the small drain holes. He frowned. He recognized that sound. He'd made that sound enough times in his life to understand. She was angry with him, she was terrified of what he could do, and she was helpless to stop him. He felt the exact same way while serving under Frieza. The only difference was the sadness he heard in her voice. Why was she sad? He couldn't grasp the emotion. He shook his head sending pink water droplets everywhere.

'Not my problem.' He thought. He reached for the bottle she had told him was for his hair, and began the tedious task of washing the grime out of his thick brown black hair. Once that was accomplished, he moved on to the rest of his body. He brought his tail around for cleaning, but hesitated as he took it in his hands. He watched the pristine water fall, and belatedly remembered her tiny hands. Despite all she felt for him she had been exceptionally gentle. He brought it to his nose, almost expecting to be able to scent her on his tail, but growled in disappointment when all he drew from it was his own scent. Why he allowed the little female to get so close to his person, and permit her to do and say things to him that would have otherwise sealed another's fate was beyond him. He pondered this for a few minutes while chewing on his tail. He bit down a little too hard, and jumped at the pain, immediately forgetting about the blue haired female. He finished his bath, and shook off before grabbing one of the fluffy towels from the rack to wrap around his waist.

He paused to stare at his reflection in the mirror, and gave himself a quick once over for damages he may have sustained in the earlier scuffle. Satisfied that he was unmarked, Vegeta's eyes scanned the room.

'Damn woman didn't leave me any clothes.' Vegeta thought on a growl. His tail lashed out, and he belatedly remembered her words from earlier.

BZzZZzzTt

"Woman, can you hear me?!"

Bulma raised her head from its place on her knees. She had been sitting on the laundry room floor leaning against the washer's for about thirty minutes before his voice over the intercom startled her from her thoughts.

'What the?' She stood and went to the intercom.

"Ya, I hear you. What do you want?" She growled. She was pissed, and the fact that he wasn't in her face gave her a little more courage.

"You failed to leave any replacement garments. Am I to wander around in a towel then?" He groused, slightly amused with her distance gained bravado.

Bulma blushed furiously. She hadn't even thought about that. She was too scared to even think about after he got out of the shower. She smacked her head. Stupid Bulma, stupid.

She pushed the button, and sighed. "Oh, sorry, look Vegeta, here's the deal. I don't know if I have anything that will fit you. So, I'll be up in a sec. and we can go see. K?" She said, trying to keep the bitterness out of her voice. She didn't want to provoke him. He already seemed irritated enough.

"Hn, very well then, but hurry it up."

Bulma dashed up the stairs, and came to a halt outside the bathroom door. She took a deep breath, and knocked lightly.

Vegeta savagely ripped the door open, and glared at her in distain. He was not pleased at all with his service, and was starting to wonder if it was worth the headaches to keep the female alive.

Bulma jumped in surprise when the door was suddenly yanked open, and Vegeta's angry visage greeted her. She gulped down her fear, and regarded him coolly. He'd cleaned up well at least. She turned suddenly without saying a word, and started down the hall. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt hot breath on the back of her neck, and slowly turned her head. He was standing directly behind her. There wasn't maybe an inch between the two, and she suddenly felt the need to put more distance between them.

Vegeta snorted in irritation when she quickened her pace. Apparently she didn't approve of his proximity, but how else was he supposed to keep track of her? He was not getting lost again. As easy as it was to track her down, he wasn't in the mood. He was tired, and his lack of clothing was in fact a deal of great importance to him.

"Ok, here we are. This is your room. I bought some clothes a while back for any of the guys in case they decided to stay the night, but no one has ever needed them. I'm sure there's something in here that can fit you." Bulma said as she opened the door, and made her way to the walk in closet.

Vegeta lounged in the doorway, his tail swaying lazily behind him, and his muscles twitching as water droplets fell from his hair onto his chest. He watched as the woman re-appeared holding a pair of black Adidas pants, dark blue boxer briefs, and a white muscle shirt. She made her way toward the bed, and tossed the clothing onto its black comforter before returning to the closet in search for some socks, and maybe a hoodie.

"Why don't you go ahead and try those on. The bathroom is over there." She said as she pointed to the door to her right.

Vegeta grunted in acknowledgement, and snatched the garments from the bed on his way to the master bathroom. He tossed his towel over the rack hanging on the back of the bathroom door, and slid the boxer briefs on. They were a little snug, but he was used to tight fitting clothing. He shrugged, and slipped the pants on next. They were a little baggy, and hung low on his hips. The length was a problem. He didn't like anything to hang over his feet, but he would remedy that once the woman wasn't looking. Next, he picked up the muscle shirt, and pulled it over his head.

RRRRIIIIIIPPPPPP!!!

"GOD DAMN IT!" He growled as he stared at the shredded shirt.

Bulma burst into a fit of laughter from inside the closet at Vegeta's plight. She had a feeling the shirt she'd given him would be too small, but she didn't think he'd rip it. She rolled her eyes, and grabbed an XL off the hanger before exiting the closet toward the bathroom.

Having had enough humiliation for one day, Vegeta threw the door open and stared accusingly at the woman standing in the middle of the room.

"Well, shoot Vegeta. Ya didn't have to go all Incredible Hulk on it." Bulma said as she tried to stifle a giggle.

Vegeta growled at her. He didn't know who or what this Incredible Hulk was, but he wasn't amused at her little joke. He tossed the shredded shirt on the floor in front of her and glared.

Bulma rolled her eyes and held out the shirt she'd just grabbed. "Here, this one should fit. I thought a medium might be a little snug, but I didn't think it would be that small on you. You've got more muscle than I anticipated."

Vegeta's smirk made Bulma almost want to smack her forehead. She'd walked right into that one. Damn bastard thought she was complimenting him. However, she simply groaned as she rolled her eyes. He really was a pain in the ass.

Vegeta smirked triumphantly, having won that little tiff, and slipped the shirt over his head. It actually fit, but barely, and he could tell from the woman's expression that she was actually surprised that the one she'd picked was also slightly too small.

"Looks like I'm going to have to go shopping for you tomorrow. Oh well, at least I know what size you wear." Bulma said more to herself than her guest.

Now that he was properly dressed, Vegeta took a careful look at the room he had been assigned. The bed was extremely large and plush, it beat the straw pallet he used on Frieza's ship. The wall on the left where the bed sat was a dark sage green, while the rest of the walls, and the ceiling were an off white. There were two large French doors that led to the balcony on the far side of the wall, and on the right wall sat the closet, and the bathroom. The room had deep red hard wood floors, and he noticed a large, black rug was positioned under the bed, and another longer one in front of the closet. There was a nightstand beside the bed closest to the door, and a desk on the same wall as the door close to the closet. The Bureau was positioned on the wall between the bathroom door and the closet doors, and in the corner by the French doors was tall tower lamp.

'This room is more than adequate.' He thought bitterly. He'd spent most his life in a room the size of this room's bathroom, on a pallet of straw. Frieza kept him like an animal, and for the most part he acted like one. He sneered at the thought. He was a prince, and this was the first time he actually felt like one.

"Ok then, breakfast is at eight thirty. Afterwards I can show you the gravity simulator, and anything else you might want to know about. I'll let you get settled in." Bulma said as she turned to leave.

"Show me the simulator now." Vegeta said before she reached the door.

Bulma paused. That hadn't been a request, but a demand. She kept walking as if she hadn't heard him. There was no way in hell she was going to let him talk to her that way. If she was going to teach him some manners, now was going to be the time.

"Woman, I know you heard me, and I suggest you answer. I'll not tell you again." He said on a growl.

Bulma turned to face him, and held onto the door frame for support. Kami help her be strong.

"No Vegeta. I said I'd show you after breakfast. My neck is sore, and my head hurts. I have to finish your laundry before it starts to smell, and I'd like to go to bed at a decent hour. So please, for once in your life be patient." Bulma said, trying her hardest not to show how scared she was to talk back.

His eyebrows shot up, and he stared at her as if she'd sprouted another head. Had she actually dared to talk back to him? Who did she think she was? His brows furrowed, and he gnashed his teeth at her.

"Woman, when I tell you to do something you do it." He warned.

Bulma straightened her back, and raised her chin defiantly. He'd finally pushed her too far.

"Oh, hell no! No, no, no. You listen to me buster. This is my home, those are my clothes, and that is my gravity simulator. You're on my turf now Vegeta, and if you don't want to play by the rules then you are more than welcome to find somewhere else to sleep. I'm sick of your attitude. You come here covered in blood, scare the shit out of my mother, and expect me to act like it's all ok. Well, newsflash buddy. IT ISN'T OK! I'm not ok. I'm terrified of you. I don't want you here, but for some reason I just can't tell you to leave. So if you want to stay you're going to have to start learning how to communicate our way; because your way just isn't cutting it." Bulma yelled hysterically, finally pushed far enough that she momentarily forgot her fear, and spoke her piece. She was panting slightly, but since her anger induced adrenaline rush had subsided; she was starting to wonder if she'd live to see the mornings light.

He didn't speak for a good thirty seconds as he processed what she'd said. He was surprised she'd had the balls to tell him how she felt to his face, and actually reprimand him for his earlier behavior. What surprised him the most was that despite her deep seeded fear of him, she'd still put him in his place. He wasn't mad. He was amused. He would play the little female's games, for now.

"Hmph. Fine then. Go. I'm tired of looking at you anyway." Vegeta said as he turned his back on her.

To say Bulma was shocked would be an understatement. However, she wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. She quickly turned, and bolted for the door bidding him a hasty good night before shutting the door behind her.

Once he was sure she was out of hearing rage Vegeta reached down, and ripped the extra six inches off the bottom of his pants, and tossed the scrap material in the waste basket by the toilet. He smirked in satisfaction, knowing the woman would be pissed once she saw what he'd done to the clothing she'd given him. He then tossed himself onto the large bed, pulled one of the pillows under his head, and promptly fell into a dreamless sleep.

Bulma on the other hand was having the worst night of her life. She carefully made her way to the laundry room, and transferred his suit from the wash to the dry. She then rinsed out the tub she'd thrown, and filled it with bleach water. She sprayed all the extra grime from his boots and chest plate. She then set his armor and boots into the mixture, and prayed to Kami it took the blood stains out.

After that she made her way to the kitchen where she downed two bottles of water along with a couple Advil for the monster headache that was wreaking havoc on her already tired mind. She then dragged herself up the stairs, and saw the state the bathroom was in. She groaned as she cleaned the bath tub of all the blood, and chunks of meat, and nearly threw up twice in the process. She knew that the cleaning bots wouldn't even come close to getting the blood stains out, and she held her breath as she scrubbed the tub down with bleach water. Once that was done she searched the bathroom for any other signs that Vegeta had cleaned up. After finding the bathroom to be sparkling clean, Bulma tossed everything in the waste, and headed for bed.

'Oh, my freakin head.' Bulma thought as she slipped out of her tank and shorts and into her black nightgown. She was exhausted mentally, physically, and emotionally. As she crawled under the covers, and drifted off to sleep she prayed to Kami that she'd make it through the next three years living with Vegeta.

Author's Note: Terrible, terrible chapter I know. For some reason I couldn't really come up with anything. Next chapter will be better. I hope. Anyway, thanks for the reviews. I appreciate each and every one, and I even welcome the criticism. ^_^ Keep on Reviewing, and I'll keep on writing.


	6. Chapter 6

Ramifications, and Confrontation

Author's Note: I'm really glad that you all are enjoying my fic. so far. I'm sorry to those of you who may have been adversely affected by my last chapter. -_- I'll try to keep things tame for a few chapters. So, here we go with the next chapter. I hope it is to your liking. Not so dark, but some serious ass kicking to come ^_-

BOOM!!!

"VEGETA!!! GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE RIGHT NOW!!"

It felt like an earthquake had rocked the house, and Bulma was startled awake by the shier force. As a secondary shocker, Bulma thought she'd heard someone shouting outside her house. Quickly she ripped her nightgown over her head and donned a pair of black running shorts and a white tank. She didn't even bother with shoes as she ran to her balcony, and threw open the windows to see what all the commotion was about.

Bulma had to rub her eyes and do a double take. There, on her back lawn, stood her lifelong friend, and he was beyond pissed. His hair was standing on end, if that was even possible, and he was baring his teeth. She was actually afraid for the man sleeping a few doors down. She quickly ran down the hall, and jumped the entire flight of stairs to the bottom, rolling to break her fall. She sprung up, and ran out to meet her friend. Praying she made it out before Vegeta heard her friend's ranting.

VEGETA!!!

Cracking an eye open Vegeta growled in annoyance, and rolled over; blocking out the sounds with his pillow. He'd had a restless night, and the sun wasn't even up yet. He thought about going back to sleep when he heard his name again. He shot out of bed with a start. He would recognize that voice anywhere. He smirked in pure delight. Apparently Kakkarot had heard of his late night snack. He ran his tongue across his canines, and threw back the covers. He wasn't looking for a fight, but if Kakkarot was in the mood then he'd gladly oblige.

VEGeta!

Goku was stopped mid holler by a sharp elbow to the gut. It didn't hurt, but it did knock the wind out of him. He looked down in shock to see Bulma sprawled on the lawn clutching her abused arm. Angrily he grabbed her uninjured arm and hoisted her to her feet. Someone needed to explain to him why Piccolo had woke him up at two in the morning to inform him that a small tribe in Africa had been brutally slaughtered not soon after Vegeta left Capsule Corp. He glared at his friend, she knew exactly what happened. He grabbed a trembling Bulma by her upper arms and gave her a good shake.

"What happened?" He growled as he shook her again.

It took her a minute to gather her thoughts after being shaken so violently. She knew better than to act out when he was like this. It only made things worse.

"I don't know Goku. He came back around ten last night covered in blood. He scared the shit out of my mother, and I was too scared to ask questions. Listen, I just got him calmed down and settled in. Just let me handle this ok? It's what you wanted isn't it?" Bulma pleaded suddenly very sick to her stomach. Why was she defending Vegeta? Was she going insane?

BOOM

The ground shook again, knocking Bulma off her feet. She growled, angry at being thrown about, and looked for the source of the second earthquake.

"Oh Kami, this can't be good." Bulma said as she watched Goku, and Vegeta square off.

"Goku, no. Don't do this. You know what he's like, and you'll only make things worse by fighting. Don't shed anymore innocent blood over something like this. We can wish them back with the dragonballs. Just let it go." Bulma yelled as she attempted to push Goku further from where Vegeta stood. She was desperate to keep the two apart. When Goku was this angry, he tended to not think about the consequences of his actions. No matter how gentle and kind hearted he was, Goku could be pushed too far. Only Bulma had been witness to this when he was a child, and it nearly cost her, her life. She had to calm him down; if not for her conscious' sake, but poor Goku's.

Vegeta cocked his head at the unusual display. The blue female was trying to restrain Kakkarot. As if she even could. It was laughable. However, he was actually shocked when he saw the younger Saiyan's expression soften toward the blue female, and take a step back in response to her urging. He was utterly confused. Why would Kakkarot allow this little female to push him around? She wasn't his mate.

"What's the matter Kakkarot, afraid to fight me? Are you going to let a little female fight your battles for you? So what if I stopped for a midnight snack on the way back. I trust they won't be missed." Vegeta taunted, his tail lashing behind him.

Goku was seeing red. He regained the step he'd taken, and the next pushed Bulma backward. This caught Vegeta's attention. He watched as the younger Saiyan took another step in his direction, and subsequently pushed her back further.

"Goku, Stop it! I mean it! And you, SHUT UP!" Bulma yelled at the two males as she bent down, and thrust her right shoulder up under his ribcage, and attempted to football push him back. She was starting to get winded, and Vegeta's taunting was only making matters worse.

Vegeta took a step closer to the two in curiosity. The tiny female was determined, and the angrier Kakkarot got, the more forceful in her attempt to push him back she got. It made sense now why she'd slapped him earlier. Apparently most of her friends were used to her laying hands on them. She couldn't hurt them, and wasn't intending to. What she was trying to do was gain their attention when it was directed on the wrong thing. He was unsure why she was attempting to protect him, but he suddenly felt the need to return the favor. She was going to hurt herself if she continued to carry on the way she was.

Goku was struggling to keep himself in check, and the only thing he had to ground him was the pressure of Bulma's shoulder against his chest. He wouldn't hurt her for the world, even though his instincts were screaming at him to toss her to the side and pound the other Saiyan into the ground. However, he wasn't prepared for what happened next.

Vegeta let out a low warning growl, and bared his fangs. The fur on his tail bristled out, and the hair on his nape stood on end. He squared his shoulders and lowered his head. If Kakkarot had any Saiyan instinct left in him he'd take the hint. He was only going to get one warning.

Bulma was nearly put off balance when Goku suddenly stood straight, and she looked up at him in wonder. She was surprised by his sudden change in demeanor. He was more curious than mad, and she turned her head toward Vegeta to see what he was doing that had caught Goku off guard. What she saw made her heart stop. Vegeta looked spitting mad.

Goku's eyes widened as Vegeta's actions registered somewhere in the back of his mind. Vegeta wasn't looking for a fight, but he was clearly indicating that if Goku didn't back off, then he was more than willing to give him one. Goku cocked his head at the older Saiyan in slight confusion. What had set Vegeta off? A sudden upward thrust into his gut caught his attention, and he suddenly realized what Vegeta was so upset about. Vegeta was afraid he was going to hurt Bulma with his pushing. He sighed in resignation, and let up on her slowly, and was pleased to see Vegeta immediately relax.

'It doesn't make any sense." Goku thought as he watched Vegeta visibly unwind. 'Why in the world would he be worried about Bulma?' He thought as he watched Vegeta's gaze drift toward his blue haired friend, as if checking her over to make sure she was unharmed. Goku doubted Vegeta even realized what he was doing, but wouldn't put it past him to try something. He maintained eye contact.

Bulma, seeing how distracted Goku had become, seized the opportunity, and grabbed him by the ear, and yanked him down to her level.

"Ouch B. that hurt." The larger Saiyan complained as he rubbed his ear with his shoulder, but otherwise complied with her silent demand.

"Look Goku, I know you want to pound some sense into him, I really want to do the same, but let's think logically. We need Vegeta to help fight the androids. If we lose him, then more people are going to die. As much as I'm disgusted to say it, this is for the greater good. We can always wish the people back. God, am I a terrible person for feeling that way?" Bulma asked as she felt the bile rise in her throat at the shier thought of what Vegeta had done.

Goku could see the mixed emotions in his friend's eyes, and softened. He knew how hard this must be for her, and he couldn't help but feel responsible. Kami only knew what she saw last night, and he wasn't sure she would ever recover. He frowned, and pulled her close for a hug.

"No, that doesn't make you a terrible person. You're right to an extent, and no one would fault you for it. As much as I don't want to admit it, you're right about Vegeta. We will need his help. Don't worry about it B. It will all work out." Goku said, trying to reassure his friend. He knew she was scared of Vegeta, and the only thing that kept her from kicking him to the curb was her friendly devotion to him, and her larger than life heart.

"Why do I feel so bad being kind to him then? He's killed so many people, and I feel like a hypocrite by letting him stay here." Bulma nearly cried, bitter with her situation.

Goku hugged her tighter. "Bulma, you've always been the most caring person I know. You took me in when no one else would. You cared for me, and put up with all my faults. Hell, you even helped me find a family of my own. I've never been able to comprehend your ability to extend forgiveness, and compassion, but I do understand one thing. Everyone needs a friend like you. Sigh, even him." Goku said as he motioned to Vegeta's stiff form on the lawn.

Bulma turned her head in Vegeta's direction, and sighed. What had she gotten herself into? She wasn't sure how much more of him she could take, but for her friend's sake, and the sake of the Earth; she would give it her all.

"Ok Goku, I'll try, but what about those villagers? He has to know that what he did was wrong?" Bulma growled angrily.

Goku ruffled her hair, causing her to jerk away in irritation. She hated when he did that.

"Don't worry about it B., I'll take care of Vegeta." Goku smirked.

Bulma never did like it when Goku got that smirk. It usually meant something bad was about to happen. She raised her hands in surrender, letting him know she was washing her hands of anything he did.

She watched as Goku made his way over to where Vegeta was standing. He stopped a few feet away, and waited for Vegeta to acknowledge him.

Vegeta raised and eyebrow, and sighed in irritation before matching Goku's glare with one of his own.

"What is it now Kakkarot?"

"Listen Vegeta, I'm only going to say this once. You're not to harm any more human's while you're on this planet, got it? You've completely terrified Bulma and her mother, and put them in a situation that they should never have been put in, in the first place. I don't know what you've been told, but on this planet, we don't eat humans. It's not right." Goku said through clenched teeth, barely restraining himself from striking Vegeta down.

"Humph, I don't take orders from a third class clown like you, Kakkarot. Now, if you're quite finished, I'd like to return to my chambers, and sleep while there's still night left." Vegeta grumbled, emphasizing his point with a toothy yawn.

Goku bristled at the display. Vegeta's blatant disregard for life was really starting to wear on his nerves.

'That's it!' Goku thought heatedly.

WHACK!

Vegeta's head nearly spun with the force of Goku's punch, but he didn't even flinch. He simply spat some blood from his mouth, and regarded the younger Saiyan with a toothy smirk. Kakkarot's hit had done him little harm, and the look of surprise on the clown's face was priceless. Vegeta had a high tolerance for pain. Years of abuse had toughened his hide, and thickened his bones. One advantage he had on the Earth raised Saiyan.

After watching Goku pop Vegeta in the mouth, Bulma felt it was time for her to step in.

"Look Vegeta. Remember your promise? I hope you'd be willing to keep your word. It would be a shame for you to label yourself a liar." Bulma said quietly as she placed herself between the two larger males.

Vegeta bristled at Bulma's comment. She was attacking his honor, and he wasn't about to stand for it.

"I am the Prince of all Saiyans, and as such my word is my honor. I do not break an oath once given." He growled as he bared his teeth at her for emphasis.

Bulma leaned into Goku for support, and he leaned in closer, hardening his glare against Vegeta, and baring his fangs right back. It was one thing to intimidate another warrior, but he wasn't about to allow Vegeta to bully and intimidate his friend; especially in her own home.

"I'm adding another term to this agreement of yours. Vegeta, if you lay your hand on her in anger again, I will soak the earth with your guts." Goku growled.

Goku's growl vibrated all the way to her toes, and worried her slightly. She knew he meant business, and so did Vegeta. She looked back to Vegeta for his reaction, and was surprised to see a smirk plastered on his face.

"Very well Kakkarot, have it your way. There's no need to get so worked up. They way you're acting you'd think you were fucking this little female." Vegeta goaded, hoping to get a rise out of the younger Saiyan

Unfortunately his goading had had the opposite effect he was hoping for. Goku's eyes nearly bugged from his head, and he looked at Bulma with his nose wrinkled in disgust before bursting into a fit of laughter. It didn't take but two seconds for Bulma to find the humor in Vegeta's statement, and join her friend in riotous laughter.

"HAHAHAH, that's the funniest thing I've ever heard. HAHAHAHAH" Goku laughed falling onto his back, holding his sides.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA, wow! That would be like incest or something. Totally gross. He's like my brother." Bulma laughed equally as hard, only she managed to maintain her footing, but her tears of genuine amusement were rolling down her cheeks in a path.

Vegeta cocked his head at their display. He'd meant to get a rise out of Kakkarot, but for some reason they thought his words were funny. He would never understand human humor.

'Idiots' He thought; extremely put off by their display. He'd finally gotten over himself enough to realize that humans laughed at the most retarded things, and it was a waste of energy to get mad. It wasn't worth the headache, or the trouble.

The sound of Bulma's laughter drummed in his ear, and he watched her intently. The way her eyes sparkled, her dazzling smile, and the light sound of her laugh, all emphasized her fragility to him. His eyes settled once again on her bruised neck, and a feeling he'd never felt before made its way into his stomach. He growled at the unwelcomed sensation, and pushed it down, but it wouldn't be suppressed.

"If you are quite finished with this childish display, woman, I would like to return to my quarters." Vegeta growled, his tail wagging behind him in response to her amusement. For some reason he wasn't feeling quite so hostile.

Bulma and Goku's laughter died down slowly, and she wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. Apparently whatever tension had been left was broken, and she felt at ease once again. She turned to Goku and gave him a dazzling smile. He always knew how to make her feel better, even if he hadn't done it on purpose. His laugh was contagious, and she was just glad that he was back to his normal happy self.

"Haha, go home to Chi Chi and Gohan, Goku. They need you more than I do. Heaven forbid she wake up with you gone after all she's been through." Bulma said seriously.

"Ya, you're right. I hope my IT doesn't wake her up." He said, blushing.

"Well, go on then. Quit wasting time. GO" Bulma said, and kicked his butt for emphasis.

Goku exaggerated his movement when her foot connected with his rear, and laughed while rubbing the back of his head. "Ok, Ok, I'm going. Later B." He said, and with two fingers to his forehead, was gone.

Bulma just smiled and shook her head at his antics. 'Always the same ol Goku' She thought as she turned with a smile towards Vegeta, who was standing in the same spot; his tail wagging in response to her light mood.

Her smile immediately vanished when she looked at him, and Vegeta couldn't help but feel affronted. He wanted her to smile at him, not stare at him like he was the devil himself. Something in him wanted the female to be that way with him as well. His frown deepened as he sulked.

Bulma regarded Vegeta for a moment. She was confused. He knew where his room was, and he'd said he wanted to go back to sleep; yet he hadn't made any efforts to leave. She sighed tiredly, and raised the inside of her left wrist to her face, saw that it was only three in the morning, and groaned. She was suffering from planet Namek's constant day, and was in dire need of sleep herself. One look at any of her friends who had been there would tell her they were feeling the same. She yawned, and stretched before making her way toward the back door.

"Come on, your majesty, I think we both could use some beauty sleep after all the excitement." Bulma said jokingly as she lightly swatted his tail out of her way.

Vegeta, liking the sudden change in the female's mood reached out with his tail, and took hold of her left calf, sending her toppling forward. She barely kept standing with her leg now suspended, and turned over so she was facing him fully.

"Hey, let go." She demanded as she tried to pry his tail's death grip from her leg.

"You didn't say please." He said smirking at her futile attempts.

"I'll bite it, I'll do it. I'm not kidding." Bulma said suddenly, as she hopped close enough to his person to get a good hold on his tail.

Vegeta's eyes widened considerably in panic, and he released her leg immediately when he watched her mouth open. He'd only been playing with her; she didn't need to get vicious. He frowned at her as he wrapped his tail around his waist, and looked at her accusingly.

Bulma would have laughed at the sight if she didn't know who was standing in front of her. However, she did feel bad about threatening his tail. From day one he'd never curled his tail when around her. Now he was staring at her warily. She softened her gaze. If things were going to work, she had to make him trust her.

"I was only kidding. Like I want your hairy tail in my mouth after you've gnawed all over it." She laughed as she turned to head inside once more.

WOOSH!

A strong gust of wind passed her, and Bulma turned toward the entrance to see Vegeta blocking her way, smirking.

Bulma said nothing as she attempted to side step him. He blocked her that way, and the other side, now Bulma was starting to get a little irritate.

"Vegeta, I'm tired, I'm really not in the mood to play right now." She said as she tried to push him out of the way.

Vegeta's smirk widened as he slid to the side, and allowed her passage, and secured his tail around her wrist as he followed her back through the kitchen, and up the stairs.

Once they passed his room Vegeta halted, gave his tail a tiny jerk, and nearly toppled Bulma once again. She turned to glare at him, and was surprised to see all the humor gone from his face.

Bulma was slightly concerned. He was fine a minute ago, now he was acting like before. A slight tremor of fear raced up her spine.

"Don't do that." He said gruffly, as he pulled her closer to his person.

She gulped. "Don't, do what?"

"That. I made a promise didn't I?" He said as he dipped his head closer to hers, and bumped their foreheads together briefly.

Bulma was uncertain of what his actions meant, but she was sure what his words meant. He didn't want her to be afraid of him. She frowned, easier said than done. He was utterly terrifying.

"Vegeta, here on Earth we have a saying. Actions speak louder than words. Just because you say something is true, doesn't make it so, and just because you tell me not to be afraid, doesn't mean it will happen. I'm sorry. I just don't trust you. Sigh, now, go to sleep. We still have a few hours left before morning, and I'm exhausted." Bulma whispered. She was tired, and unsure of herself. She didn't know how to act around Vegeta, and his drop of the hat mood changes didn't help either.

Vegeta's frown deepened at her words, and he slowly tightened his grip on her wrist. He didn't want her to be afraid of him, damn it. What did he have to do to prove to her he wasn't going to hurt her?

'Where the hell did that come from?' Vegeta thought suddenly. He was surprised by the sudden urge to draw the female closer, and show her she had nothing more to fear from him. Why did he want her approval all of a sudden?

Just as quickly as he'd grabbed her, his tail released its hold on her wrist, and he stepped back, giving her the space she needed.

"What am I to do then?" He asked before his brain had time to stop him. What was wrong with him? He thought he'd cleared his head.

Bulma was surprised by his question. 'He really means it.' She thought as she stared at his confused face. He looked like he was fighting an internal battle with himself. That was when it dawned on her. He really didn't understand. His entire life he'd been raised to kill and destroy. Now he was on a planet where those things got you nowhere fast. He was lost, and in need of guidance. She knew he was still the same old Vegeta, but something in the way he was willing to try, if only to preserve his honor, moved her. She just hoped it wasn't all an elaborate hoax on his part. She knew how cunning and deceitful he could be.

"I don't know what to tell you Vegeta. That is something you're going to have to figure out on your own." She said as she turned toward her room, tired of the conversation at hand.

"Woman."

Bulma stopped dead in her tracks, and looked at him over her shoulder.

"Yes?"

He struggled to find the words in her language, and came up empty. He let out a frustrated huff, and closed the distance between them.

Bulma was shocked. She felt his arms wrap around her, and pull her to him before her mind registered what was happening. It took her a second to recover.

He felt awkward to say the least. He'd seen Kakkarot do the same to the female earlier, and she had relaxed considerably, but apparently it didn't have the same effect when he did it, because he felt her immediately tense up. Was he doing it wrong? He wrapped his tail around her waist, and buried his head in her hair, drawing her sweet scent into his nose and sighed mentally when all he smelled was her overwhelming fear.

Bulma was blushing furiously. She understood that he was trying to apologize, but his close proximity, and the intimate way he was holding her made her feel very uncomfortable. However, she didn't want to discourage him. She tentatively wrapped her arms around his lower back, and gave him a tiny squeeze. He was forgiven.

"Ok. You've made your point. You can let go now." She said as she loosened her hold on his waist.

Vegeta didn't feel like letting her go. He just didn't, but he complied with her request, and released her immediately. He'd already humiliated himself enough as far as he was concerned. He didn't wait for her to say anything before turning, and disappearing behind his bedroom door.

He crossed over the hard floor, and stood in front of the balcony doors clenching and unclenching his fists. He couldn't believe what he'd allowed himself to do. He was disgusted with himself. At first he was just playing along with their little game, but for the life of him he couldn't understand what had possessed him to hug her. What was worse was that he hadn't wanted to let go, and when she'd turned to go to her room, he'd had the sudden urge to follow. He growled in anger as he shook the thoughts from his head with a violent shake, and tossed himself onto his bed. He had a few hours of sleep left before breakfast, and he'd be damned if he wasted them on the blasted female. He grabbed his pillow, and tucked it under his head.

'She's nothing but trouble.' Was his last thought before darkness took him once more.

Bulma rolled her eyes, and shook her head as she chuckled to herself. Vegeta was going to be the death of her. He was like an overgrown child. She sighed, and crawled into bed once more. She just hoped the morning would bring a less stressful day. She was going to call Yaumcha, and see if he wanted to go with her to the mall. She hadn't seen hide nor hair of him since he'd been brought back, and he'd mentioned something about getting his things from his apartment now that his lease was up. He'd mentioned moving in with her, and she figured it would be a good idea to let him stay in their extra guest room. He was her boyfriend after all. She just wondered how he and Vegeta would get along. The thought made her stomach drop, and she sighed in anger as she realized she wouldn't be getting any more sleep.

"Oh well, It's never too early to start working on that project I've been putting off." Bulma sighed as she slipped on a pair of socks, and her sneakers then crept down to her personal lab. She set the alarm for eight in the morning, and set to work. She just hoped she had the battle droids finished before everyone woke up.

Author's Note: Uh, Oh. Yaumcha is coming back to Capsule Corp. how will Vegeta deal with the new intruder of his domain? Mhuhahaha. This next chapter is going to be a little lighter, than this one mostly because it will have Bunny, and an incident with Dr. Brief's cat scratch. ^_^ Read and review, and tell me what you think, and where you want to see this fic go. I'm open for suggestions. Oh, and STOP ASKING ABOUT VEGETA'S F****** TAIL. I WANT HIM TO HAVE ONE, SO HE DOES!!! It's my story… deal with it… -_-! Sheesh. Cough, cough, anyway, I'll be updating in a day or two.


	7. Chapter 7

Cat Scratch Fever, and Enter the Bully

Author's Note: Ok, to answer a question about why Vegeta chews on his tail. He chews on his tail just like a human would chew on their fingernails. It's just a Saiyan's version of an oral fixation. I got the idea from my dog. He chews on his tail when he's stressed…lol. ^_^ I'd also like to point out up front that Yaumcha isn't going to be an idiotic ass in my story either. I don't think he was ever supposed to be in the series. He was just a guy with flaws. This chapter is going to get into more of the day to day struggles Bulma and Vegeta go through. Hopefully it's not too silly. Let me know what you think. ^_^

Bulma's alarm went off around eight, and she fell out of her chair with a start. She slowly pulled herself up, and sat back in her chair to try and calm her racing heart. She must have fallen asleep sometime after six. She rubbed her face, and stretched soundly before standing, and walking up the stairs toward the kitchen.

She could smell the coffee, bacon and pancakes once she reached the hall, and her stomach growled in anticipation. She hadn't eaten since her stomach had revolted against her the day before, and she was starving.

"Good morning bluebird. Did you sleep well?" Bunny asked as she flipped the pancakes. She'd already built up quite a stack. Bulma was glad her mother had listened to her about Vegeta's appetite. She just hoped her mother had gotten over the fright Vegeta had given her.

"Mom, are you ok? I mean, Vegeta didn't scare you too bad did he?" Bulma asked as she opened the cupboard and retrieved her favorite coffee mug, and poured herself a cup of coffee. She took a sip, and sighed as she felt the warm liquid sooth her hunger pains.

"Well, I really didn't know what to think. Was that blood on him?" Bunny asked as she turned to face her daughter who was sitting on the counter top.

Clank.

"Ya, he got into a little trouble after he left, but it's alright now. Don't worry about him mamma. He won't be any trouble." Bulma said as she leaned forward to see who was coming through the back door.

"Bulma? Ms. Briefs? Anyone home?"

"In here Yaumcha." Bulma said as she finished the last bit of her coffee, and hopped down to give him a big hug and a peck on the cheek.

"Hey, how you feel about going with me to the mall? I have to pick up a few things." Bulma asked as she handed Yaumcha a mug from the cupboard, and returned to her position on the counter.

She watched as Yaumcha poured himself a mug, and she held out hers for him to refill. He shot her a scolding look, and she gently tapped him with the mug.

"Top me off, be a friend?" Bulma urged with a cheeky smile. She was glad to see him. They had decided to give their relationship one more try, and she was feeling mischievous.

Yaumcha chuckled, and shook his head as he accepted her offered mug, and poured her a second cup. As he handed it back to her he held onto it for a moment.

"Let go you bummer!" Bulma said as she smacked his arm. He laughed and relinquished his hold on the mug, and turned to lean next to her against the counter.

Thump thump thump thump.

Bulma's smile slowly slipped from her face as she turned her head upward toward the sound of footsteps on the stairs. She'd almost forgotten about her new houseguest, and wasn't sure she was ready to deal with him yet.

Yaumcha looked at his girlfriend with worry before following her gaze toward the ceiling then back toward her with a lost look.

"Is that Vegeta?" He asked as he looked toward the stairs.

Bulma followed his gaze. "Yup." She said before taking a large gulp of her coffee. She was definitely going to need it.

Vegeta suddenly appeared at the bottom of the stairs his eyes half open and his hair disheveled. He was about to walk into the kitchen when he suddenly caught an unfamiliar scent. He wound his tail around his waist, and slowly entered the kitchen. He stood in the doorway, and stared at the occupants of the room.

"Well good morning to you too sleepy head." Bulma said as she once again retrieved a mug, and poured a cup for the newest addition to the room. Bunny and Yaumcha greeted their newest arrival as well, though a lot less cheerfully. They were still hesitant about being in the same room with him.

"Here, try this. It'll wake ya up." Bulma said as she held the mug out for him.

Vegeta grunted as he crossed the short distance, and accepted the mug from her hands, and sniffed its contents. He then looked at her suspiciously.

Bulma rolled her eyes, and took the mug back. She took a sip, and handed the mug back without a second thought. Vegeta in turn took a tentative sip, and turned toward Yaumcha.

Noticing Vegeta's attention on him, Yaumcha broke out into a cold sweat. "So, you like the coffee Vegeta? It's a little strong, but it does the trick." He said, trying to break the awkwardness.

Vegeta sniffed, and took another sip of his coffee. "It's fine. I've had something similar to it on another planet." He said as he set the mug down, and pushed off the counter, and standing directly in front of Yaumcha, apparently sizing the other male up.

"You're that human fighter one of my Siabamen killed aren't you? Tell me, how does it feel being the first to die?" Vegeta asked with a smirk. He already knew the answer.

Yaumcha was about to retort, but was cut off by Bulma's hand on his shoulder.

"Vegeta, stop antagonizing him, It's still early." She scolded as she hopped from the counter, and went to help her mother place the food on the table. At the same time Dr. Brief's walked through the kitchen door on a yawn.

"Morning daddy." Bulma greeted as she gathered up the newspaper on one of the kitchen chairs, and handed it to him before returning to her previous perch.

"Morning everyone. Morning Sweetheart." He said as he set his cat scratch on the counter between Vegeta and Yaumcha. He then came up behind Bunny, who was working on the bacon, and placed a kiss on her cheek, and swatted her butt before taking a seat at the table.

Vegeta cocked his head as he watched the exchange, and then looked at Bulma, and then Yaumcha. He wasn't sure what those gestures meant, but he was certain they weren't meant for males. Humans were way too complicated. There was a double meaning to everything they did.

Everyone jumped in surprise as Vegeta let out a startled howl of pain, and leapt from his position against the counter. They watched confused as he continued to let out little yelps of pain, but no one could figure out what was wrong with him.

"Vegeta, what's wrong?!" Bulma asked completely flabbergasted. He looked as if someone had just cut off his balls.

"Whatever it is, get it off my tail before I blast it." He said through clenched teeth.

Bulma made a face, and looked at Yaumcha, and her parents for support. They just shrugged, and went back to what they were doing.

"Don't offer to help or anything." She hissed at Yaumcha as she turned to check Vegeta's tail. She couldn't help but laugh at what she saw.

"HAHA. Dad, I thought I told you to get Scratch declawed." Bulma said as she finally noticed her father's cat. He was firmly imbedded into Vegeta's tail, and was biting at the tip every time it twitched.

"GRAAAHH, Watch what you're doing woman!" Vegeta growled in pain as Bulma took hold of the little black abomination, and gave it a tiny tug. He nearly jumped through the roof.

"Well hold still. I have another idea. This always gets him." Bulma said as she disappeared toward the bathroom.

'Where the hell is that daft woman going?!?!' Vegeta thought in a panic. He looked to the other occupants of the kitchen, and glared at them as they all pretended to be too occupied with whatever they were doing to notice his plight. 'Sons of bitches, the lot.'

"Ok, here. I've got him now." Bulma said as she rounded the corner holding a spray bottle in her hand. She tip toed up being Vegeta, and sprayed the cat. "Bad kitty, shoo." She scolded.

Scratch immediately freaked out, and released his death grip on Vegeta's tail, and bolted out of the kitchen, and disappeared under the living room couch.

Vegeta immediately lifted his tail, and held it in his hands gently as he checked it for damage. He nearly snapped when his hand's came back spotted with blood. The little shit had really gotten him good. He turned, and presented his hands to Bulma, and growled as he made to follow the cat, and kill it.

"NO. Don't hurt him; he thought your tail was a toy. He likes furry things. Here, give me your tail." Bulma said as she grabbed a kitchen rag from the drawer, and ran it under the warm tap.

Vegeta glared, and held his tail away, and growled at her.

"Back off." He snarled

"Hey cool it man, she's just trying to help." Yaumcha said as he took the many plates of bacon from Ms. Briefs, and set them on the table with the pancakes. She followed suit with the eggs, and syrup.

Vegeta was about to tell him to stuff it when he felt something warm and wet on his tail. Déjà. He turned his head, and growled at Bulma, and tried to jerk his tail away, but she held tight.

"I need to clean it Vegeta. You don't want it to get infected." Bulma said as she concentrated on what she was doing, praying to Kami that he didn't hit her.

Vegeta rolled his eyes in disbelief. He'd been beaten, and left for dead, and here she was concerned about his tail getting infected from a mangy little black fluff ball.

"Ok. Who's hungry?" Bunny said as she sat at the table, and gestured for Bulma and Vegeta to do the same. The tension was getting to her.

Bulma took her seat next to Yaumcha, and Vegeta took his seat next to Bulma. Mr. Briefs said grace, and everyone started to fill their plates. Vegeta watched how everyone was eating the unfamiliar foods, and followed suit. He wasn't about to make an even bigger ass out of himself. However, he'd be damned if he didn't eat his fill.

"So, what do you think? It's pretty good huh?" Bulma asked around a mouth full of eggs.

Vegeta glared at her, and said nothing. He hoped she wasn't going to talk the entire time.

"So, Yaumcha, you never answered my question." Bulma said as she turned from her grumpy houseguest to her boyfriend.

"Ok. I need to get a few things myself. I just don't want to be there too long."

"Not a problem. I just need to get monkey boy here some clothes that fit." Bulma said as she polished off her third cup of coffee.

"You really should lighten up on the coffee, babe, you're going to get all jazzed up." Yaumcha warned, worried that Bulma would most likely be more on edge than normal.

"Ah back off. I'm fine" She said pouring herself a fourth cup. She'd recently given up smoking, and had taken to drinking coffee as a substitute. She wasn't about to give that up too.

Yaumcha shrugged. He wasn't about to push the subject. He knew Bulma was going to do whatever she wanted, and he didn't want to start another argument with her. He just decided to let her be.

Dr. Briefs was too preoccupied reading his morning paper, and Bunny was looking through her new gardening catalogue. Breakfast was the family's time to wake up, and let each other know what they'd be doing that day. Neither of the elder briefs were doing anything out of the ordinary, so they kept to themselves.

Vegeta finished his breakfast, and stood to his feet. "Woman, you will show me the training facilities now."

Bulma shot him a death glare, and took one final bite of her eggs. She stood to her feet, and crossed over to the coffee pot. She poured herself another cup, then headed or the door without saying a word.

Vegeta quickly followed suit, and out of concern for his girlfriend, Yaumcha decided to tag along in case Vegeta decided to try anything. He'd heard through the grapevine about how Bulma got her nasty bruises, and he was less than thrilled about it. He'd also heard about Vegeta's late night shenanigans, and couldn't help but shudder in disgust.

The three walked in silence out the back door, and toward the large space pod that sat in the back yard. Dr. Briefs had been tinkering with it, giving it some final modifications. He didn't want it used the way Vegeta had intended, but if he was going to use it anyway, Dr. Briefs wanted to make sure it was a safe as possible.

"Ok, here it is. This is the external control panel for the ship. It's every function is monitored through this mini-computer. If the need arises anyone can disable toe increased gravity, and open the air lock by override. If you want to enter the ship, just press this button here." Bulma said as she tapped the tiny green button, and watched as the ramp quickly fell open.

She led the way into the chamber, and both males followed behind, taking a good look at the inner workings of the ship. Bulma motioned for Vegeta to come to the center console, and once she felt his presence behind her, she showed him a sequence of buttons to press.

"This ship can only go to one thousand times Earth's normal gravity safely, so please, don't attempt to take it any higher than that. It could jeopardize the entire structure. Trust me; you don't want to find out what will happen if you do that." Bulma warned. She really didn't feel like having to rebuild the GR anytime soon.

Vegeta studied the controls for a minute. This was exactly what he needed to achieve his goals. He smirked at the thought of crushing Kakkarot's skull into a fine powder. Soon he would have his revenge.

"That's all well and good. You can leave now. I no longer require your assistance." Vegeta said. His tail was just twitching to try out his new room.

"Hey, you could show her a little appreciation you know. She did build this thing for you." Yaumcha said as he turned to look at his girlfriend with an irritated frown. He didn't understand how she could put up with Vegeta.

Bulma rolled her eyes, and turned to go. "Yes your majesty, your wish is my command." She said under her breath. "Come on Yaumcha, let's go. He's not worth wasting your breath." She said as she took hold of his hand, and pulled him out of the GR behind her.

Vegeta watched the two as they exited, and quickly hit the button to seal himself inside. He set the gravity to fifty times Earth's normal gravity, and was nearly pulled to the floor by the force. This was going to be fun.

'Now the real training has begun.' He thought as he moved around the room. The increased gravity was exactly what he needed. He'd be a Super Saiyan in no time.

Bulma and Yaumcha stared at the dome shaking their heads, both for completely different reasons; Bulma because she had a bad feeling about Vegeta, and Yaumcha because he couldn't stand Vegeta.

"I don't trust him." Yaumcha said as he turned toward the house to grab his jacket.

Bulma sighed as she ran her hands through her hair. "Ya know what Yam. I trust him as far as I can throw him."

Yaumcha laughed at the mental picture it her comment created, and lightly pushed her, knocking her off balance. She laughed, and pushed back.

"Come on, forget your jacket. I'll race ya to the car!" Bulma laughed as she pushed him back, and took off. Yaumcha gave her a five second head start before phasing out, and reappearing by the car not two seconds before her hands landed on the hood.

"Beat ya. B."

"Ya, ya, don't rub it in. One of these days I'm gonna surprise you." She said as she hopped in the passenger seat of his car. He followed suit, and started the car. He was looking forward to spending some time with Bulma. Before he'd been killed things between them were tense to say the least, but since he'd arrived back at Capsule Corp. Bulma seemed to be in better spirits. He briefly wondered how long it would last.

Bulma dove out the passenger window when they pulled into the mall parking lot, and tucked and rolled to her feet. "Ta da!" She laughed as she bounded toward the door.

Yaumcha laughed at her childish antics, and quickly ran after her. He didn't really like going to the mall, but Bulma wasn't like most girls, and he actually didn't mind going with her. She didn't take too long to make up her mind. She knew exactly what she wanted, and if she didn't find it in one store, she moved on.

"Ok, here's the plan. We're gonna hit Aero., American Eagle, then head down to Abercrombie, and Express for Men. After that, lunch and coffee, then Footlocker, and Dick's." Bulma said as she made a B line for the first store.

"Hey, Yaumcha."

"Ya, B?"

"Do you think it's bad that I'm getting Vegeta clothes?" Bulma asked as they entered the store, and she began looking through the men's section.

Yaumcha hesitated for a minute. "No. He needs clothing. I won't fault him that." Yaumcha said with a smile. He might not like the guy, but he wasn't an ass. Everyone was entitled to some things.

"Ok. I think this should do. Let's pay and go." Bulma said as she headed to the register with ten pair of sweats, twenty buy one get one free t-shirts XXL, ten hoodies, and a dozen boxers. The woman scanned them quickly, Bulma paid, and the two made their way to the other stores.

Yaumcha and Bulma had made their way through the stores in record time, ate lunch, gotten a couple coffees, and were just about to leave when Bulma stopped.

"What's up babe? Did you forget something?"

"No. I just noticed they have a pet store. When did that open?"

Yaumcha looked at the store quizzically, and shrugged. "No clue. Wanna go in?"

"Sure, but you're gonna have to watch it. If they have pitt bulls I will get one!" Bulma said with a wink.

"Ya, I know, but your dad is gonna kill you. He hates dogs."

Bulma rolled her eyes "You let me worry about my dad." She said as she walked toward the storefront, and stopped to tap the glass of the free standing kitten case.

The two walked down the wall of puppies, Yaumcha stopping to stare at the English Bulldogs, while Bulma gasped, and dropped to her knees in front of one of the lower cages.

"Yaumcha look! It's a male blue nose!" Bulma squealed.

Yaumcha came to kneel by her and looked at the tiny pup. "Good lookin dog! He's real thick, and it says he's AKC. Plus, he's already got his ears cropped. Let's hold him" Yaumcha said as he turned, and motioned for one of the associates to bring them the dog.

They watched as the woman went through the glass doors, and retrieved the round little puppy. Bulma cooed at it when she came out, and handed it to her while pointing them to the next available play room. The two entered the small area, and put the puppy down. The dog immediately sat down, and stared up at Bulma and Yaumcha. Bulma sat down, and called the puppy to her. The puppy immediately lumbered over, and plopped down in her lap, and went to sleep. Bulma looked up at Yaumcha accusingly.

"Now I have to get him. He's just too sweet."

Yaumcha just shook his head, knowing the fight she was in for when her father found out, and tried to pick the pup up. The little dog immediately started struggling, and biting his hands with his little puppy teeth; thinking it was a game.

"Ouch! Man, that little guy has a good set of chompers." Yaumcha said as he gave up, and shook his hand.

Bulma cradled the tiny puppy, and Yaumcha grabbed the bags while she grabbed a collar, leash, bowels, food, and a bed for the puppy, and paid for everything.

"I sure hope you know what you're in for." Yaumcha warned as they loaded the bags in the car.

"Oh relax. He'll be fine. Daddy was saying how I could have ONE dog if I found the one with a good temperament, and I taught it not to chase his cats." Bulma said as they settled into the car, and headed home.

Yaumcha looked over at the sleeping puppy in his girl's lap, and scratched its head. "What you gonna name it?" He asked as he turned his eyes back toward the road.

Bulma thought for a minute, and smirked. "I'm gonna call him Kane." She said.

"Kane, wasn't that the Biblical character who murdered his brother Able?" Yaumcha asked.

"Yup, and when I train him to protect me his attack command is going to be Able" She laughed hysterically.

"Oh my Kami, you're sadistic!" Yaumcha laughed as he shook his head.

"No. I'm just kidding about the last part, but his name is going to be Kane. He's gonna be a fierce looking dog, and I want him to have a name that matches." Bulma said as she held the little puppy on his hind legs, and put him in Yaumcha's face making growling noises.

"Hey, stop I'm trying to drive" He laughed as he pet the dog again. "You're starting early aren't ya. The black spike collar is a nice touch." He laughed.

They pulled into the driveway, unloaded the car, and headed toward the house. Bunny was in the garden watering her plants when they walked up the drive. The minute she noticed the little blue Pitt Bull in her daughter's arms she squealed.

"OH, Isn't he precious. Where did you find this little cutie, and what's his name?" She asked as she scratched his tiny head.

"The new pet store in the mall, and Kane." Bulma said as she set the puppy down, and watched him walk around, sniffing. It didn't take him long to find a spot to do his business, and Bulma praised him after he was done. Kane's tail wagged a mile a minute at the happy sounds Bulma made, and he bounced around at her feet, barking and striking the classic puppy play pose.

"Ok little guy. Let's go put these things in Vegeta's room." Bulma said as she gathered the bags, and encapsulated them so she could carry them herself, then tapped her leg to get Kane to follow her.

"Hey B. I'm gonna go get the rest of my stuff, and set up my room, K?" Yaumcha said as he kissed her cheek, and waited for her response.

"Sure thing hun. Come find me when you're done. It shouldn't take me long to put Vegeta's things away, and get Kane situated.

The two parted as Bulma headed toward Vegeta's room. She quickly removed all the clothes from her capsule, and set to putting them away. She was about half way through when she heard Kane growling, and staring at the door.

"What's your malfunction?" She said teasingly at the little Pitt. He turned his tiny head her way, and barked, then turned back toward the door; watching as Vegeta stepped into the doorway.

"Hey there. You've got perfect timing." Bulma said as she closed the drawer designated as the sock and underwear drawer.

BARK, GRRRRRR, BARK

Vegeta looked down at the pudgy blue dog that stood between him, and the woman. He regarded the pup for a moment before kneeling down, and gesturing to it with his left hand. Kane took a hesitant step forward, sniffed at the offered hand, then barked again as he approached Vegeta.

"Yours?" Vegeta said as he scooped the puppy up, and held it out for Bulma.

"Ya, I just got him today. His name is Kane." Bulma said as she took the puppy from his hand, and tucked him under her left arm.

"Ok, this is your sock/underwear drawer, the next one is for your t-shirts, and the last one is for your sweats. Then, over here in the closet, I put your hoodies, shoes, and jeans. I bought you two suits just in case, and in this chest over there I put your set of armor, cleaned, patched up, and ready to go. I also got you some boxer tape, two pair of UFC gloves, and pretty much any brace you could possibly want along with a few ace bandages. Then I got you a shit load of toiletries which I stocked under your sink, and the towels are in your cabinet above the toilet." Bulma said, setting down the now squirming Kane, trying to think if she'd forgotten anything.

Vegeta stared at Bulma with an unidentified expression on his face. He didn't understand her. He'd left her stranded, nearly choked her out, shown up in her kitchen not twenty four hours ago covered in blood, brought hellfire down on her, insulted her, and terrified her. Why the hell would she want to help him? No one had ever treated him the way she was treating him. He'd never had anyone care for him the way she did, and he couldn't place the feeling that stirred in his chest.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked, once again picking up the puppy and holding it out for her to take. He needed to know.

Bulma finally realized that Vegeta didn't want the puppy running free in his room, and maintained her hold on him while she looked at Vegeta.

"Look. We started out on the wrong foot, and I wanted to show you there were no hard feelings. Besides, you're going to need more than your armor if you're going to stay here. It's for my sanity. I'm not going to put up with you bitching at me to wash your armor every time you're done training. Besides, everyone needs a friend, and you looked like you needed one. Oh, and while I'm thinking about it, how is the GR working for ya?" Bulma asked as she finished hanging the last of his clothes.

"It's adequate for now." He growled as he reached out and scratched Kane's little head absently as he tried to process everything the woman had just told him. He'd never had a friend. He didn't know what they were, and wasn't even sure he wanted one.

Bulma snorted. "Ya, ok, adequate meaning kick ass, right?" She said smirking at his frowning face. For the first time, Bulma wasn't terrified of him. Sure she was still scared of him, but now it was more she felt uncomfortable being alone with him, not scared out of her mind. It was a small baby step forward, but she was willing to be nice if he was, and she figured this was as civilized as Vegeta could get. At least he wasn't yelling at her.

"So, what do you think of my little killer? Pretty terrifying huh?" Bulma asked as she held the puppy in front of Vegeta's face for his inspection.

"Hn, not much. That thing isn't even as big as that black fuzz ball running around here." He said taking Kane from her, and holding him by the scruff to get a better look. Kane simply hung there patiently, and stared at Vegeta calmly waiting for him to put him down.

"Oh, he'll get bigger, a lot bigger. These dogs are banned in a lot of areas due to their bad reputation. They were originally bred to take down bulls, and as guard dogs. They are extremely smart. They are bred for their strength, agility, and tenacity. Unfortunately, many people recognized these traits in a bad way, and used them for dog fights. Because of idiots like them, there have been a lot of Pitt Bull attacks on people. Now, most everyone who sees these dogs automatically assume they are vicious." Bulma said. "I really don't care about their bad rep. I've been around these dogs, and I know how amazing they are. They are extremely loyal, and love children. It always amazes me when I see it. These dogs are capable of ripping you apart, but they are as gentle as a kitten.

Vegeta smirked at the small puppy. "If by kitten you are referring to that thing in the kitchen, we'll see, and if what you say about this little thing is true, I think I could tolerate its presence." He said as he set the puppy on its feet, and watched it lumber around his room. Now that he was sure it wouldn't go after his tail, he didn't care what it did.

Bulma smiled. Apparently Kane had won Vegeta over, now she just needed to work on her father. She sighed, that wasn't going to be easy.

"Well, I'm gonna go see if this little guy is hungry. Care to join me. I can make you something. I'm sure you're due for some food."

Vegeta grunted, and motioned for her to lead the way, and the two headed toward the kitchen, Kane bounding after them.

"Here Kane!" Bulma called as she set his bowls on the floor, and poured a bottle of water into his water dish, and filled his bowl with food. She chuckled as the puppy dove into his food bowl face first, and tore into his kibble like he'd never eat again.

"Well, looks like he's hungry."

"I think you should be more concerned with my appetite woman." Vegeta groused, slowly losing patience. He'd had a good day of training, and was slowly coming down from his adrenaline rush. Meaning his good mood was slowly dissipating.

Bulma could tell Vegeta was getting irritated, and knew his good humor was waning. Starting to feel more uncomfortable around him, she quickly made his dinner, snatched up her little puppy, and left him to himself.

"Ok, Kane. Let's go find dad, and face the music." She said as she sat him down, and let him follow her down the long set of stairs to her father's personal lab. She just hoped he was in a good mood.

Author's Note: Ok, I know there wasn't much going on in this chapter, but I kinda wanted to give you a feeling for Yaumcha's personality, and how he and Bulma interact. I also wanted to introduce a new aspect of everyday life. My parents freaked when I got my dog, and I thought it would be funny to add some side drama. Well, ya, that's about it. Read, and review. I demand you to! ^_^


	8. Chapter 8

Taking Care of Business

Author's Note: Ok, First of all, I'm sorry if my last chapter offended anyone. I've had my dogs ears cropped to reduce the risk of bacterial/yeast infections caused by ear infections in floppy ear dogs. Large breed dogs with floppy ears are more prone to these, and I just think there isn't anything wrong with cropping for that reason. Besides, my little dog was tearing at his ears. It was for his own good. -_- Anyway, I'm glad that you all are happy with my portrayal of Yaumcha, but I am going to clear the air (Spoiler Alert). He was a flirt in the series, and I believe that is why they broke up or whatever. ^_-. Also, I've based Kane's character off of a real life Pitt Bull, so please keep in mind that not all breeds that have been dubbed aggressive really are. There will also be a little parallelism drawn between Kane and Vegeta. Don't worry; it's not going to be bad or cheesy. Now, on with the next chapter.

To say that introducing Kane to her father had gone smoothly would be a bold faced lie. He'd hated the dog, and what was worse was that he hated the breed. He told her she would have to take out a separate insurance for the dog, and he didn't want it anywhere near his cats. She'd spent a good couple hours down in his lab trying to win him over, but sadly, no dice. She watched as he glared at the puppy from under his glasses, and Bulma was almost afraid he'd take his sword to the poor thing so she'd high tailed it out of the lab as fast as she could. She didn't want Kane to be in any mortal danger. Things were going to be tense for a few weeks while her dad adjusted to the change in family dynamics.

'He may be a scientist, but boy does he hate his variables.' Bulma laughed to herself as she walked back into the living room with Kane nipping at her fuzzy slippers. She plopped down on the couch, and set Kane next to her before snatching the remote and channel surfing. She was bored, and wondering what her crazy boyfriend was doing. He should have been done moving his stuff about a half hour ago, and already come and found her. She sighed as she clicked the TV off, and headed up the stairs; Kane lumbering right behind. She laughed as she watched him struggle up the first few steps, but once he'd figured out the easiest way up, he nearly passed her. He was a smart dog; she had to give him that. Once she reached the top of the stairs she passed Vegeta's room, and heard the shower running. She'd figured. She continued on, and stopped at the door a few doors down, and knocked.

"Yaumcha? You in there?" Bulma asked, and wrinkled her nose in confusion when she heard the sound of a laptop closing suddenly, and his computer chair moving.

"Ya babe, come on in. Sorry it's taken me so long. I found a few things I had forgotten about, and was just messin with em." He said, a little too hurried for Bulma's comfort. She figured he was doing something more than messin, but brushed it off. Most guys looked at porn, but for some reason when Yaumcha did it, it made her feel insecure, like she wasn't good enough for him. It also irritated her that he lied about it. She wouldn't have minded as much if he was honest with her. Hell, she might have wanted to watch with him. 0_o

"Ok, well, what do you want to do for the rest of the day? It's about seven, and I already fed Vegeta early so I'm sure he won't be bothering me for a while." Bulma said as she checked her watch.

Yaumcha thought for a few minutes before his face lit up with a smile. Bulma knew exactly what he was about to say, and smiled herself.

"LEFT 4 DEAD!!!" They both yelled as they bolted from the room toward the living room, leaving a confused and lonely puppy to roam around upstairs by himself.

Kane whimpered sadly as he walked out of the room, and looked for his mom. He tried to follow Bulma's scent trail, but he was still little, and didn't know what he was doing. Suddenly a door to his left swung open, and he yelped in surprise before curling up and lying belly up, like all scared puppies do.

Vegeta heard the whimpering sounds from his bedroom, and curiosity took hold. It sounded like a Saiyan pup if he was honest, but he tossed that out with the rest of his asinine thoughts as he threw open his door. He wasn't surprised to see the little blue puppy from earlier sprawled out on the floor, and rolled his eyes at its display.

"Get up, and come here. Honestly, how that daft woman could think you capable of anything vicious is beyond me." He said as he bent down to scoop the puppy into his arms, and headed toward the stairs in search of its neglectful owner. Just because he didn't mind the pup's presence within the house didn't mean he was going to look after it.

"RAAAGGGGGGHHHH"

"AAAAHHHHHH, TANK, SHOOT IT, SHOOT IT! MOTHER FUCKER, I JUST GOT POUNCED! HELP!" Bulma yelled at the screen as she and Yaumcha mashed the buttons on their X-Box 360 controllers. Yaumcha had gotten the game for her a year ago for her birthday, and she'd become insanely addicted to it, especially on-line play. She was a complete trash talker too.

Vegeta heard the sounds coming from the living room and cocked his head. He looked at the puppy that was staring up at him, and set him down when they reached the bottom of the stairs, and stood behind the couch leaning closer to the two humans who were barely maintaining their seats, completely oblivious to his presence.

"SHIT, Yaumcha, why the hell did you startle the witch!" Bulma groaned as she maneuvered her female character, Zoey, toward her partner who was currently getting his guts ripped out.

"I DIDN'T HEAR HER!!! AHHH" Yaumcha yelled as he nearly missed getting puked on by a boomer.

The sounds coming from the screen coupled with the flashing lights triggered something in Vegeta he hadn't known was there. He squeezed his eyes closed as his heart raced, and he was suddenly drawn back to a time long ago. He saw blood, lots of blood, and heard the terrified screams of the women, and children. He was only eight, and struck fear into the hearts of all who heard his name. It was his second mission under Frieza, and the worst one he'd ever been on to date.

'GRRRRRR'

Bulma watched as a tank killed off the two CPU characters, and then Yaumcha's, then hers and they both groaned in irritation.

"Aw man. We are seriously out of practice. We used to rock it on expert." Bulma said as she picked up her puppy that was currently lying on her foot, and set him on the couch between the two.

Yaumcha scratched Kane on the head, and nearly jumped out of his skin when he caught sight of Vegeta standing behind the couch.

"WOAH! Hey man don't sneak up on people like that, it's so not cool." Yaumcha laughed as he turned to look at Vegeta fully.

Vegeta didn't respond to the human male's exclamation. He wasn't in the room anymore. His eyes were glazed over, and moving about as if he was watching something that wasn't really there. Bulma's brow creased in concern, and she gently laid the back of her hand on his bare forearm. He was cold and clammy, and he looked like he'd seen a ghost. It suddenly hit her was wrong, and she pinched his arm with her long nails. Her father was prone to war flashbacks, and never wanted her to play her game while he was around. He said it'd brought back memories from Vietnam.

The sting on his arm drew him back to the present, and he blushed as he realized the woman and her, well, whatever he was, had caught him during one of his weak moments. The male was staring at him like he was a freak, but the woman was looking rather concerned. It relaxed him slightly.

"What?" He growled waspishly as he shook her hand away.

"You were staring. Uh, wanna play with us? You'll like it. I promise." Bulma said as she held out a third controller to the flabbergasted Saiyan.

"What the hell? Why would I ever want to play your silly earth games? There are more important things to do." He grumbled.

Bulma rolled her eyes, grabbed his hand, and set the controller in his palm. "That button is to shoot, that one is to reload, that one is to pick up extra ammo and things, that is to throw molotovs, and pipe bombs, push that to heal, and those are what you use to move. I think that's about it. Oh, and the objective is to kill all the Zombies, but watch out for the Tanks, Witches, Hunters, Smokers, and Boomers. Those sons of bitches are annoying as fuck."

Vegeta looked at the controller in his hands, and gave the buttons and triggers a test. He then hopped over the back of the couch between Bulma and Yaumcha, careful not to sit on Kane, and looked expectantly at her.

Both parties missed the death glare Yaumcha was directing at the back of Vegeta's head, and he thought about giving the overgrown ape's tail a good yank just for good measure.

'Hit on my girl will he.' Yaumcha thought as he turned back to the game; pissed at the world.

"Ok, here we go. I'm Zoey," Bulma yelled out as she selected her character.

"I'll be Louis" Yaumcha said.

Vegeta just stared at the screen at a loss.

"Here, you can be Francis. Use your joystick to scroll down, and then hit the A button to select your character.

Vegeta followed her instructions, and watched as Bulma started the game. He didn't mind the character she'd selected for him; the male seemed to at least be able to take care of himself.

'There's nothing to this game, and what the fuck is a zombie anyway?' Vegeta thought as he easily navigated around obstacles while tailing Bulma and her boy toy's characters. He maneuvered his character into a side ally, and had just opened a door when suddenly.

"GRAAAHHHHHH"

"AAAHHH, WHAT THE FUCK!!!! GET IT OFF!! BLOODY HELL!" Vegeta yelled as he nearly jumped off the couch after getting the fright of his life as a Hunter flew out of the room and pounced on his character.

"HAHAHAHA, don't worry, I'll save you!" Bulma said as her character raced into the room and meyleyed the Hunter in the head before shooting it in the face with her shotgun.

Vegeta's eyes widened at the display of bloody violence, and turned to look at Bulma, shocked. He was completely baffled. She was pissed about him doing basically the same thing to those villagers, but here she was happily killing off her own kind in some sort of mock battle scenario.

Bulma noticed Vegeta's puzzled look, and shrugged. "Hey, gotta kill them before they kill you. Besides, they're already dead."

"Already dead?" Vegeta asked still lost.

"Ya, Oh, sorry. I forgot you probably have no idea what a zombie is. Well, basically most zombie movies and such start out with the government or some other agency coming up with some sort of chemical or biological weapon, and it somehow gets leaked on the general public. It basically kills every living being infected, and reanimates their bodies. They have a thirst for the brains of other non infected humans. If you get bit by one, you become one, or they just eat you." Bulma explained as she equipped a pipe bomb and tossed it into a large horde of zombies.

"So, ya, don't get bit. Get it?" She asked as she smiled at him.

"Ya. I think." He said as he shot a smoker that was about to pull Bulma's character out of the warehouse window.

"Hey, thanks. You saved me!" Bulma said as she nudged him in the shoulder.

"AW FUCK! Bill stole the extra health pack, and I'm low. Yaumcha, can I have yours?" Bulma asked as she batted her lashes at him playfully.

"Hell no. I'm about dead. I need all the help I can get. I'm sucking at this for some reason." He said as he let his character heal.

Bulma pouted, but cheered happily when she unearthed a health pack lying next to a dead zombie. She was about to pick it up when she felt something tickling her right side. She jumped, and laughed out loud before settling back on the couch, and glared at Vegeta playfully.

'Ok, that was random' She thought as she wondered why he would… O_O!!!

"What was that….OH YOU SNEAKY LITTLE BASTARD! THAT WAS MY HEALTH PACK!" Bulma yelled when she saw Vegeta's character healing himself with her health pack.

"NO CHEATING!" She scolded

"You were distracted. I merely seized the opportunity." Vegeta smirked at her. Liking that she was paying more attention to him than her other male companion.

"Ya, when your tail tickled me. Don't think I'm not onto your little game." Bulma said playfully as she shouldered him again.

Feeling playful Vegeta hopped up from his spot and sat on Bulma causing her to let out a few random curse words as she was unable to control her character or see the TV.

"Help Yaumcha! Save me!" Bulma yelled as she tried to shove the nearly three hundred pound mountain of muscle off her.

Yaumcha glared daggers at Vegeta. He wasn't sure what the Saiyan was playing at, and he wasn't too keen on how friendly Vegeta was getting with his girlfriend. He knew he could trust Bulma, but Vegeta was another story, and he definitely didn't like the way Vegeta was daring him to do something with his eyes. He wasn't suicidal. He just kept on playing his game.

"Sorry babe, you're on your own!" He said with a frown. He was starting to feel awkward.

Vegeta, unable to get a rise out of the other male decided to give the female a break, and slid back in between the two humans.

Bulma just laughed and scrambled to gain control of her character, and desperately tried catch up with Yaumcha's character that was nearly to the safe house.

"Damn it! I'm dead!" Bulma growled as she got yanked back by a smoker, and there wasn't anyone around to help her.

Vegeta chuckled as his character reached the safe house, and he used his character to shoot Yaumcha.

"Hey, don't shoot me. We're in the safe house!" Yaumcha said as he moved his character out of range.

Vegeta just followed in pursuit until he'd gotten Yaumcha into position by the door then shoved his character into the path of a waiting Hunter, and watched it tear him apart.

"AHHHH, HELL YOU SUCK!" Yaumcha yelled as he tossed his controller on the ground and stormed up to his room. Thoroughly pissed.

"Hey, come back Yaumcha!" Bulma hollered after her boyfriend, but frowned when his bedroom door slamming was her answer.

Vegeta tossed his controller down as well, and stood stretching. He looked over at Bulma who was still sitting on the couch seemingly deep in thought about something. He grunted and tapped her with his foot, gaining her attention.

"Huh? Oh, what's up Vegeta?" She said sadly, immediately returning to her previously preoccupied state of mind.

Vegeta couldn't figure out what had happened to make her sad, other than the other male leaving in a huff. He didn't see a ring on her finger to signify they were mates in human terms, and he sure as hell didn't see any mark on her. Humans were confusing. Once again, he thought about the double standard they all had. It was quite annoying. He could smell the human male, and was curious as to why he smelled of sex, but not of a female. Did humans not need a partner? She shook his head, not willing to think on the subject any further. He grunted and tapped her again with his foot.

Bulma sighed and stood to her feet after scooping Kane's sleepy form into her arms. "Ok, Kane, time to go potty." She said, ignoring Vegeta completely. She really wasn't in the mood to put up with him at the moment.

Bulma missed the look of bitterness directed at her as she made for the back door to let her puppy out to do his business. She had humored Vegeta with a game, but wasn't unaware of Yaumcha's disapproving glare. He hated Vegeta, and she had the sneaking suspicion Vegeta wasn't going to play nice. He'd made that obvious. She just hoped the two could get along. She'd hate if she had to renege on her offer of lodging to her own boyfriend.

"Men. I swear you can't leave them alone for a minute." She groused as she watched Kane from the back door. 'At least he seems to be getting along with everyone.' She thought as Kane went on about his business

Vegeta stared at Bulma's back from the kitchen entrance, and growled to himself. He wasn't sure if he liked having the other male around. Things had been going smoothly until he'd shown up. He'd noticed how Bulma's attentions toward him seemed to wane in favor of the other male, and for some reason he didn't like it. Another feeling started to rear its ugly green head. However, he knew exactly what emotion it was, and he was shocked to realize he was getting jealous. He shook his head in irritation as he shoved off the wall and made his way to stand behind Bulma.

"Woman."

Bulma turned around without saying a word, and waited patiently for Vegeta to speak his piece. She was going to make it perfectly clear who the most important male in her life was. She was starting to feel Vegeta getting used to all the attention, and she knew it needed to stop. He seemed to crave the attention, and she almost laughed at his reaction to being ignored. He really was an overgrown toddler.

"The gravity is adequate for now, but I need something more." He said, unsure of what else she could come up with in order to aid his training.

Bulma chewed on her thumb nail for a few minutes as she thought about what else she could make for him. Suddenly the light came on.

"Oh, I know. My father and I have been working on some battle droids for the military. They're supposed to help with training the troops, but I can adjust their settings to your specifications. That should hold you for a good long while. Sound like a plan? Bulma said as she opened the back door to let Kane in, and gave him a treat for going potty outside.

They watched as the little puppy bounded over to his bowl, ate the rest of his food, and promptly collapsed in his little bed.

"Wow, guess he was really pooped." Bulma said then laughed at what she'd said. "No pun intended there." She defended when Vegeta rolled his eyes in disbelief at her stupidity.

"When will you have the droids?"

"Probably two days. I have to make the adjustments, and test them. I doubt you want them blowing up in your face." Bulma said as she made an exploding gesture close to his face for emphasis.

Vegeta waved her off, and grunted, his way of saying her timeframe was acceptable. However, he wasn't about to be shafted. He'd make sure the woman maintained the machine to his liking or there would be hell to pay. He wouldn't allow her to slack off on her duties for anything.

RING RING

"Oh, mom must be calling." Bulma chirped as she purposefully slid across the linoleum floor to where the cordless phone was sitting on the counter.

"Hello… hey mom what's up? Ok, I'll let them know. No problem. I'm not that hungry really. Ok, well, tell the ladies and gentlemen of the board I say hi! Ok, bye" Bulma huffed as she hung up the phone. Sometimes she wondered if her mother talked just to hear herself.

"Well, looks like we're fending for ourselves for the next few weeks. Mom and dad are heading to the US for a business conference, you hungry? I think I'm gonna order out."

"…."

"Ok, I take that as a yes. YAUMCHA!!" Bulma yelled up the stairs.

"WHAT?"

"YOU WANT TAKE OUT?"

"SURE. WHERE FROM?"

"I WAS THINKIN McD'S PUB!"

"SOUNDS GOOD. GET ME THE USUAL!"

"K."

Bulma dialed the all too familiar number, and greeted Mackey cheerily. She placed her and Yaumcha's usual order then ordered one of everything for Vegeta. She laughed when he asked her if she was trying to eat for two, and said goodbye then hung up. She placed the phone back on its charger, and then sat down in one of the kitchen chairs. She looked down at Kane and smiled at his cute little form curled up in his bed fast asleep. She never could let sleeping dogs lie.

Vegeta watched Bulma with interest as she knelt down and cuddled the sleeping puppy carefully so as not to wake him. He inhaled her scent, and growled in irritation. He was starting to worry himself. His entire life he had only one objective, to kill Frieza, and exact his revenge. That kept him focused, and prevented his young mind from wandering to things it shouldn't. Now that he was reaching the Saiyans version of full maturity, and with Frieza gone he found his mind wandering to things he'd never thought about before. He swallowed the lump in his throat as the realization set in. Saiyans had a longer life span than humans, and therefore reached puberty and sexual maturity much later in their lifetimes. Vegeta was thirty five, and dealing with the hormonal changes that occurred at that peak time in a Saiyan's cycle. Kakkarot wouldn't have to worry about it seeing as how he'd already taken a mate when he'd hit puberty. Vegeta on the other hand, was beginning to wonder if taking the woman's offer of shelter was a good idea. He was going to start entertaining thoughts and urges to find a mate, and he refused to allow himself to be taken by a human.

'Sigh, this won't end well,' He thought as he remembered his dream from the night before. He'd dreamed of something other than the terrors of his past for the first time, but he was ashamed to even think of it. He felt like a hormonal teenager when he'd woken up hard, and extremely frustrated. He'd had to wait in his room until he'd calmed down before joining the rest of the household for breakfast. Females had been scarce on Frieza's ships, and those that were available Vegeta hadn't dared to even look at for fear of contracting some form of disease. He was often teased. Many soldiers thought him to be gay, others thought him lacking in certain male features. At the time he hadn't paid it any mind because it was not an issue. He had other things to do to distract himlsef, but now, he was having a hard time dealing with urges he'd never had to deal with before.

'Damn it all to hell.' Vegeta thought as he stared appreciatively at Bulma's shapely ass when she stood. He was going to have to really watch himself around her. He'd made a promise not to hurt her, and he wasn't foolish enough to think rape was something humans were tolerant of. He sneered as he felt himself harden, and turned toward the back door. He'd be damned if he let anyone see his shame. He knew what he had to do, and he nearly brought up at the degradation it would bring to his psyche.

Bulma turned to where Vegeta had been standing, and frowned when she noticed he was no longer there.

"Where'd he go?" She asked herself as she placed her hands on her hips.

The sound of the GR starting up gave Bulma the answer she was looking for, and she rolled her eyes.

"Well, that's that." Bulma said as she walked through the living room and up the stairs toward Yaumcha's room. She was about to knock when she heard the distinct sounds of Yaumcha jerking off to one of his many porno files, cleverly hidden in the taxes 07 file on his desktop. She frowned, and lowered her hand. Why he felt it necessary to do that when she was under the same roof, and more than willing was beyond her.

'Oh well. It doesn't matter. I guess I don't really matter.' Bulma thought sadly as she turned, and went to her own room. She flopped down on her bed, and groaned. She was actually pretty sexually frustrated. She hadn't had sex for months since before Yaumcha died, and she was starting to wonder if it was even worth staying in a romantic relationship with him. He was starting to slip back into the friend category with her, and she felt horrible about feeling that way. She shook the thought from her head as she grabbed her body pillow, and curled around it for a cat nap while waiting on the food. She had nothing better to do, and she certainly didn't want to be around Vegeta alone.

Yaumcha felt terrible for what he was doing. He knew Bulma was well aware of his pornography collection, but he knew she would flip if she knew about this. He stared at the woman's body over his web cam, and all but came everywhere. He'd met her in a chat room, and then at a local coffee shop in town a few days ago when he'd told Bulma he was going to get his things from his apartment. He hadn't actually cheated on Bulma with the girl physically, but for some reason internet and phone sex felt enough like it to make him feel sick. He quickly slammed his laptop shut, and only briefly felt bad about cutting Jenay off. He needed to stop before things got out of hand. He loved Bulma, but for some reason he kept finding himself in situations he didn't have the strength to get out of. He hadn't slept with Bulma since he'd started things with Jenay because he felt bad about it. Unfortunately he knew he was slowly driving Bulma further and further away from him. He was addicted, and he wasn't willing to give it up just yet, even though it hurt her. She may not say it, but he knew it did, and that hurt him too. He really did love her, he just didn't know in what way anymore. He sighed in frustration. He was aroused, and not in the mood to take care of himself. He'd already done that twice today, so he grabbed a towel, and prepared for a very cold shower.

Vegeta let out a grunt of satisfaction while he braced himself against the GR shower's wall, completely spent. He'd never done what he'd just done before, but he knew it was the only way he was going to be able to leave the GR ever again. He'd attempted to train in order to erase the evil thoughts that were swimming around in his head, but no dice, then he'd tried a cold shower, and was infuriated to realize that wasn't working either. He'd had no choice. He sneered in utter self disgust as he watched the evidence of his disgrace slowly slide down the drain. He couldn't believe he'd lowered himself to such a level, and for what. Nothing. It would all amount to nothing in the end. He grabbed his towel, and dried himself off before slipping his clothes back on. He needed to remember to take a change of clothes to keep in the GR for just such occasions. He knew that a human's sense of smell wasn't nearly as good as a Saiyans, but he didn't want to take the chance.

DING DONG

Vegeta's, Bulma's, and Yaumcha's heads all snapped up at the sound of the doorbell. Bulma hopped from her bed, sprinted down the stairs, and Yaumcha had just slipped on a pair of training pants. Vegeta was slowly lumbering into the house. Bulma got to the door first and paid the boy, then turned to face the two males who had appeared behind her seemingly out of nowhere. They both looked like they'd just gotten out of the shower. She took the heavy bags from the boy, and walked to the kitchen table. She hefted them to its top, and grunted with the effort.

"Gee, thanks for helping!" Bulma huffed.

"You didn't ask." Yaumcha said. Bulma growled at his answer, but quickly shrugged it off.

"Fine then, Yaumcha here's yours." Bulma said as she fished his order from one of the many bags, and handed it to him.

"Thanks babe. This looks soo good. I haven't had this for soo long." He said as he took his food to eat in front of the living room's huge TV.

Bulma watched him go, and frowned. She chewed her bottom lip for a moment then sighed as she retrieved her own food from the bag.

She was about to leave the kitchen, and eat in her own room when she caught sight of Vegeta very cautiously peering into one of the bags and sniffing at the styrophome containers. She sighed. His lack of knowledge was really starting to get to her. She wasn't his mother, nor his babysitter.

"What's the matter this time? All that is for you, and there are plastic forks in there somewhere." Bulma said angrily as she glared at the male as if he was the source of all her problems. If the truth be told, he was.

Vegeta frowned at Bulma. He then stood straight and crossed his arms as he stared at her. The hell if he knew what her problem was, but he didn't like the fact she felt comfortable taking it out on him. She'd been moody all day, and frankly he was sick of it.

"For your information I am not familiar with your human provisions. I also would have you know that I haven't eaten food in over twenty five years." Vegeta growled out, not at all happy with Bulma's look of complete confusion.

"What do you mean? How? Wha?" Bulma was completely flabbergasted. How could he not eat, he was a Saiyan.

"Frieza fed us meal replacement capsules. You eat a capsule, drink some water, and there you go. Quick and efficient, but highly unhealthy for the Saiyan anatomy." Vegeta explained.

Bulma nodded her head. Now she understood his apprehension toward food. It was all new to him. No wonder he'd behaved the way he had. He had no food provisions, and was unaware of how to procure them. She felt terrible. She felt somehow if she had taken proper care of Vegeta from the start, those poor villagers would still be alive.

'Oh well, no woulda, coulda, shoulda's.' Bulma thought as she crossed back to the table, and hesitantly set her food down, and began removing the Styrofoam containers from the bags, and opening them for Vegeta. He watched her carefully, but found he trusted her more than he should. His tail swung back and forth behind him as he waited patiently for her to serve him. Once she'd opened all the containers, she dropped the plastic utensils in front of him, and then sat down to start on her own food.

The two ate in silence, and Vegeta was completely aware of Bulma's uneasiness. He frowned around a mouthful of coleslaw. She seemed fine around him earlier, but, she'd not been alone. That's when it hit him. He sniffed the air, and caught the all too familiar scent. She was scared to be around him without another's presence. Somehow it bothered him that she couldn't feel comfortable enough to be in the same room as him without another to supervise. He watched her shaky hand reach for her drink, and sighed.

Bulma was keeping very close tabs on Vegeta. She made sure not to make any fast movements for fear of losing a limb. Saiyan eating habits were scary, and she wasn't about to test Vegeta when it came to food. She could see his movements out of the corner of her eye, and was surprised to see him stop eating. She looked up at him, confused. He then did something that completely threw her off. He offered her some of his food. He slid the container across the table till it sat almost directly in front of her, and looked at the food, then at her expectantly. She also noticed the energetic sway of his tail. Apparently he was rather pleased with himself over something, and she was worried she may do something wrong. There was something significant about his sharing his food with her, but she was completely in the dark. She decided to accept his offer, and ask Goku about it later. He might have some idea what was going on.

Vegeta watched as blue haired female looked at him in confusion before tentatively taking a bite of the food he'd offered. He wagged his tail amiably. He knew the importance of food sharing was uncommon to humans, but he didn't know any other way. Saiyan's were very territorial over their food, and often killed one another for even the tiniest scraps. Saiyans only shared their food with their mates, offspring, and on the rare occasion, one of their pack mates. However, it was unheard of for a Saiyan monarch to share food with anyone so for him to share food was unheard of. He just hoped the female appreciated his offer, and his attempt at human companionship. He was a loner by Saiyan standards, but even he needed someone. He just hoped he could convince the silly female he wasn't out to harm her. He still needed her services, after she'd worn out her usefulness, then he may consider doing away with her. Until that time, he would allow the female to be his source of entertainment.

"Hn." He grunted as acknowledgement as she smiled at him. He then finished his food, and headed outside to return to his training, leaving Bulma to sigh in relief as she ate her food in peace. Hopefully with a full stomach he'd be able to concentrate on what he was doing.

Author's Note: This chapter was meant to be sort of a transition, but I kinda lost myself. O_o. Hopefully I didn't offend anyone. I don't feel comfortable writing lemon or lime scenes so please don't hate me. I'll put some more substance into the next chapter. Review and let me know what you think about this chapter. I demand reviews, or I'll start torturing you with lengthy gaps. ^_^ Sooo, review! Huggles to all my faithful readers! You all rock!


	9. Chapter 9

Settling In, and Freaking Out

Author's Note: Ok, This chapter is coming later than expected because I had a huge argument with my husband -_-! And my mind has been otherwise preoccupied. So, I'm hoping you like this chapter despite my bitterness while writing it. I'm also going to say that I will address certain comments and questions posted in reviews, but if you're going to complain about a little OOC, or a random character addition, then I'm just not wasting my time. It's my story, and they are there for a reason, PERIOD. I'll accept any and all reviews, and I'm looking forward to ones on this chapter, but please, no more questions about Vegeta's tail, Kane, or the Xbox360 thing. I put those things in to lighten an otherwise darker fic. I can't be sadistic all the time…lol. That's all I'm going to say.

Vegeta had thrown himself into his training. He'd locked himself in the GR and refused to emerge for weeks at a time. He was used to extreme conditions from his time under Frieza, and he didn't know any other way to train. Self inflicted injuries were his cure all. Saiyans grew stronger each time they came closer to death, and Vegeta had subconsciously developed the habit of causing himself harm when under stress or extreme emotional turmoil. His gloves and armor did more than protect him in battle; they hid the scars from his self-mutilation. He had never given it much thought, but being around humans who prided themselves on their appearance he'd assumed his physique would be considered grotesque with all its scars. He grunted in pain as he palmed one of the battle droids heading for his head, and one of its six inch spikes tore through the tender flesh clean through to the other side. He brought it to his face, and examined it for a second, marveling at the way his bones and tendons moved around the foreign object. He turned his palm downward and gave it a tentative shake. When the droid didn't dislodge from his palm with the increased gravity he growled angrily, and ripped it from his palm then drop kicked it into the wall where it exploded on contact. There went his last droid. He sighed. His body was starting to give. He'd dislocated his tail earlier on when he'd tried to do pushups with it after increasing the gravity; bad move. Then, he'd taken a rumble droid in the ribs, and was certain at least three were busted, and one was grinding into his lung. He could feel them move every time he took a breath, and he was well aware of his need for medical attention. However, he had a slight phobia. He'd had horrible experiences with medics on Frieza's ships, and other planets. A few had operated on him while he was fully conscious, and without medication. From that point on any time he'd gotten injured and there wasn't a regeneration tank available; he'd simply taken care of himself. He'd set bones, and sewn up gashes that refused to heal on their own, but as he took inventory of his wounds, he knew he was in over his head. He sighed and sat down on the GR floor to think. He was in quite a situation.

It had been nearly eight months, and after all the happenings, it seemed like everything was finally starting to mellow out around the Brief's household. After returning from the business conference, Bunny busied herself around the house with doing all the domestics, Dr. Brief's had finally gotten used to the idea of having a dog around the house, Yaumcha had decided to move back into his apartment mainly out of self preservation in regards to Vegeta, Bulma's bruises had cleared up beautifully, she'd gotten her hair straightened out of the crazy fuzz ball, and had thrown herself full force into her work, and spent nearly just as much time fixing and upgrading the GR according to Vegeta's demands. Outside of dinner, Bulma and Vegeta rarely interacted and even then they were beginning to see less and less of their elusive houseguest even around supper time. Mrs. Brief's had discovered the change in Vegeta's eating habits, and notified her daughter. It appeared Vegeta was going out of his way to avoid any and all human contact. For what reason, no one was certain, but no one complained.

"That boy hasn't come out of that damned machine for nearly a week. He's going to kill himself if he isn't careful. He is made of flesh and blood." Dr. Briefs said as he glared out the window before tackling a mouthful of round steak.

Bulma looked out the window herself. She had nearly forgotten Vegeta was even still living with them. As she stared out the window her mind began to wander. After Yaumcha left, she had been in such a funk she'd simply worked her ass off just so she wouldn't have to think about it. The truth be told, Bulma knew why Yaumcha had moved out. It wasn't just because of Vegeta, no, he had other reasons. He wasn't cheating on her, yet, that she knew of, but she was certain that their relationship was beginning to end. She just hoped it would end with them still being friends.

"That boy hasn't eaten anything in the past three days. I'm not sure, but I do know if Goku even goes a few hours without eating, the boy acts like he's going to die! I'm starting to worry about him." Bunny said as she took a sip of her sweet tea, and glanced out the window as well before turning to regard her daughter.

"Bulma, what's the matter? You haven't even touched your dinner, that's not like you. Are you upset about Yaumcha's leaving? Honestly, I don't know why you even worry. You know my sentiments, and I'm sure you could do a lot better than him." Bunny said as she tapped her daughter's temple to bring her back to reality.

Bulma shook her head to clear away the cobweb of thoughts, and frowned at her mother. She hated to say it, but she knew her mother had a point. It just hurt her pride too much to admit that she was settling for less than what she deserved. She sighed, and began eating her dinner without a sound. Her mother stopped talking, and Bulma assumed that she'd said her peace. For the first time in a long time, the Briefs ate in complete silence, the only sound being the utensils as they scraped the dishes. Everyone seemed to be out of sorts.

After dinner, Dr. Briefs bid his wife and daughter good night, and made his way toward the lab for some late night work. Bunny was used to going to bed before her husband, and simply smiled, and said she'd keep the bed warm for him. Bulma nearly gagged at the implications. Her parents were out of their minds sometimes. She stood from her place at the table, and set her dishes in the sink before turning toward where her mother was loading the washer.

"Mom. Should I go check on Vegeta? You're right about him, and I'm getting a little worried about the strain his continuous use of GR might put on its engine. It was never intended for that type of use. I don't want to have to tell him he can't train for two weeks because we have to have the parts shipped. He'd go ape shit." Bulma asked as she fiddled with the water faucet.

Bunny chuckled at her daughter's choice of words in regard to their houseguest reaction, but smiled softly. She understood that Bulma's concern ran deeper than the mere functionality of her machine. She knew her daughter was worried about the man inside, and despite her extreme aversion to the man, she couldn't help but feel he needed Bulma's tenderness more than anyone. She sighed. Being a good person wasn't easy, but she was determined to make sure she and her daughter did the best they knew how.

"Here. I'll make him up a plate, and you can take it to him. That will give you an excuse to check on your machine." (And Vegeta) The last part left unsaid, but understood.

Bulma frowned in thought, and nodded her head. Despite her fear of the man; she felt responsible for him, and for some reason she felt drawn to him. She figured it was curiosity, but she wasn't sure. She guessed she could compare it to a child who liked to tease the neighbor's vicious dog. They were always taking a step closer to the end of that chain. She cringed at the thought. Vegeta would break the chain, and rip her throat out.

"Mom, put some desert on there for him. I don't think he's ever had anything sweet." Bulma said as she watched her mother pile lots of food onto a dish they normally used to serve the Thanksgiving turkey, and decided to grab the pitcher of sweet tea to go with it.

"Be careful sweetie. You don't want to spill anything." Bulma's mother cautioned as she watched her daughter nearly topple under her load. She shook her head and looked down at the massive dog lying on his mat in the corner. Kane was practically full grown, he was a scary looking dog, but Bunny knew better.

Bulma set the tray down, and reached under a cabinet for one of the fold out carts. Her mother typically used it for her pastry parties, but it seemed the only logical thing to do at the moment. She unfolded the cart, and loaded the tray, and pitcher on the top and bottom racks respectively, and gave her mother a wary sort of smile before heading out the door.

"Looks like it's just you and me Kane. Come on big boy, you can help me with my gardening." Bunny said as she reached down and scratched him on the head. Kane yawned, and stretched before lumbering behind Bunny as she exited the kitchen.

"Oh dear. I hope Bulma knows what she's doing. That man can be awfully difficult." Bunny said as she watched Kane plop down by her side.

Outside, on the other side of the compound, Bulma was beginning to grow impatient as she waited for Vegeta to power down the GR. She knocked a second time, harder. If she had to she would kick the damn door down. However, she was relieved it wasn't going to come down to that when she heard the simulator power down. She stood anxiously on the lawn, wishing anyone was standing with her, just so she wouldn't have to be alone with the person who lay on the other side of the door. Now that she was alone, her resolve to help him was starting to wane.

The door opened a crack, and let out a hiss of steam before its continuous decent. Bulma straightened her back, and took a deep calming breath as she prepared for whatever was going to come through the door. However, she wasn't even remotely prepared for what she saw next.

"Oh my Kami! Vegeta! What have you done to yourself?!" Bulma gasped when the steam cleared, and she was able to make out his form.

Vegeta was braced by his hands on either side of the door, and using it to hold him up. His body was riddled with gashes, some fresh and some a few days old. His eyes were nearly swollen shut, and it looked as if he'd cut his left one to retain his vision. He was bruised all over, and his tail lie in an awkward position around his waist, but what caught her attention the most were the odd protrusions on his left side, and the odd wheezing sound he made as he breathed.

'I never should have left him alone for so long. This is my fault.' Bulma scolded herself as she took in his bloody and battered form. She knew training could be intense, but what he was doing wasn't training; it was mutilation.

"Oh, come here. Let me see." Bulma said gently as she abandoned the cart, and practically ran up the ramp to his side.

Vegeta growled as her hand made to touch his wounded tail, and he nearly took her arm off with the force of his slap to her hand. He watched in satisfaction as her eyes widened, and she withdrew the offending appendage, and cradled it to her chest. He'd hurt her, yes, but she was attempting to do the same. If she intended to cause him harm he wasn't about to go down without a fight.

Bulma's hand felt like it had been hit with a baseball bat. It stung, but otherwise she was fine. She shook her hand out to ease the pain, and steeled her gaze. He was acting like Goku did when he was injured. It had to be a Saiyan thing. She'd been smacked around by Goku, but that was a completely different ball game. Vegeta was swinging for the fences with her.

"Come on Vegeta. You're hurt. Let me see!" Bulma coaxed as she slowly reached out to him again.

Vegeta bared his teeth, and his tail bristled. He puffed himself up, and growled at Bulma while eyeing her hand warily. He wasn't going to warn her again.

Bulma caught his warning, and stopped her movements. She knew he meant business, and wasn't stupid enough to push her luck. She sighed heavily, and stared at him; trying to reason with him though eye contact.

'Doesn't he understand I'm trying to help him?' Bulma thought as she watched his tense form. Suddenly she got an idea. She smiled at him before she turned back to the cart. She grabbed a couple strawberries off the desert portion of the platter, and made her way back to where he stood. She noticed that his eyes never left her, and she wanted to roll her eyes in irritation. It seemed that whatever truce they'd made the last time they'd shared a meal was completely gone. His lack of human contact could be to blame, but she wasn't entirely sure that was the real reason. She extended the strawberry in her left hand toward Vegeta as she ate the one in her right.

Vegeta eyed the fruit warily for a moment before reaching down, and snatching the fruit from her hand and nearly swallowing it whole in his haste. He sniffed at her, and motioned with his head for her to bring him more food.

Bulma wasn't appreciative of his refusal to talk to her, nor his blatant demand of food. She was trying to be hospitable, and maybe even a little compassionate toward him, and he was making things harder than they needed to be. He needed medical attention bad, and despite their little moment, she hadn't forgotten about his wheezing. Something was wrong, and she wasn't sure he didn't have a punctured lung. She grimaced at the thought, and forced it from her head for the moment.

"Here ya go. Happy now? Ok, you just sit tight and eat while I check out what's going on with your side here." Bulma said when Vegeta fell on the cart, nearly inhaling everything he could get his hands on.

The minute he registered the pressure on his broken rib, Vegeta let out a roar of pain, and rounded on Bulma in a flash, knocking her to the ground, and nearly taking her out. She cowered away from him, and prayed he wasn't going to do anything rash.

Vegeta staggered back, and bumped into the doorframe as the pain surged up his side, down his left arm, and to his head. He hissed in pain as he slowly bent at the waist, and held his hand inches above the area. It was getting progressively harder for him to breath, and he knew his left lung was nearly completely collapsed. Even he didn't want to touch his side it was that bad. He knew he needed medical attention, but he wasn't sure how humans healed one another, and wasn't in a hurry to find out.

Bulma's heart wrenched in her chest as she watched Vegeta writhe in pain. She'd seen injuries before, but none were as bad as his.

"Vegeta. I just want to help you. I'm not trying to hurt you, but if you keep batting me around, I won't be in any shape to do anything for you. You just have to let me see what's going on." Bulma tried as she approached him from his uninjured side, and held her palm out to him.

Vegeta lolled his head toward her outstretched arm, and nipped at her hand. He wasn't fully trusting of the female, but her offer seemed to be genuine. He'd let her try things her way.

"Woman, if you, try, anything, I'll not, hesitate, to kill, you." Vegeta whispered. The pain in his chest constricting any words he may have wished to say.

Bulma pulled her hand back and nodded at him in earnest. She then shoved the half eaten cart to the side as she took Vegeta's right hand, and gently led him toward the medical wing stationed a few yards away from the GR. As she watched him struggle to walk, and saw the massive amount of blood pouring from his wounds Bulma found herself praying he would make it.

'What the?' Bulma thought as she felt something warm running up her arm, and nearly cried out in alarm when she saw the blood pouring from a hole in the hand she was holding, and flowing up her arm to drip from where they joined.

"Vegeta! Oh! Why didn't you tell me I'd grabbed your bad hand? Here." She said as she released his hand, and gently placed her hand on his uninjured shoulder to guide him along.

Vegeta's eyes began to blur, and he couldn't seem to focus. He stretched out with his sense of smell, and followed the tiny female. He focused on her sweet scent, using that to keep him conscious long enough for her to get him to wherever she was taking him. He heard a door swoosh open, and felt her hand gently guiding him to lie on a medical table. He rallied the last of his strength, and hoisted his broken body onto the table, not unaware of her tiny hands as she attempted to aid him. Once he'd settled on his back he opened his eyes, and tried to focus on his surroundings.

"Where am I?" He weezed as he watched Bulma bustle around the white room. He eyed the machines, and his eyes widened in barely suppressed panic.

Bulma returned to his side with a few instruments, and set them on the table by his side. He looked at them and tried to suppress his mounting anxiety.

"You're in the med wing. Don't worry Vegeta. I'm going to take a few x-rays of your chest and tail to see what's going on in there, and if necessary, I may have to sedate you to fix them." Bulma said as she positioned the machine over his chest first.

Vegeta stayed silent as he allowed the female to run her tests. He was extremely hesitant when she reached to unwind his tail, but seeing as how she had always been gentle with it in the past, he allowed her to do so. After she'd removed the grey sheets from the machine he closed his eyes and waited impatiently. When she came back, and slapped three pieces of plastic on a bright square panel of light on the wall, and could sense her hesitation. He didn't like it.

Bulma sighed in relief, and anxiety. Lucky for Vegeta, his lung wasn't punctured, but she was sure it would be later if she didn't reset his ribs, and tape them. As for his tail, it was merely dislocated, and one quick tug could fix it. Bulma chewed her thumbnail as she considered all that needed to be done, and worried Vegeta's threshold for pain, and patience would wear out before she could stabilize him. His tail would be the last thing she would attempt.

'I have to try.' She thought as she flipped off the machine, and made her way back to Vegeta's side.

"Ok. Good news is you're ribs haven't punctured anything." She said as she gauged his response.

He was silent for a beat before asking the question she dreaded. "What's the bad news?"

Bulma frowned. "Well, I'm going to have to set them, and then there's the matter of your dislocated tail, your hand, eye, and all the gashes. Vegeta, I want to help you, but I'm going to be honest with you. I'm afraid to." She said rubbed her knuckles gently against his bicep. She knew he was fading fast, and hoped he would consent to her treatment. There was no one else around who could help her hold him down if he refused, and she wasn't about to try anything that might get her killed.

Vegeta growled, and jerked his shoulder. He wasn't about to accept her pity, and the scent of her fear was giving him a headache. Hadn't he done enough to show her he wasn't going to harm her intentionally? He'd even shared his food for Kami's sake.

"Woman, do what, you, need, to do." He growled out as he stared at her through hazy eyes. He was growing tired, and figured he'd gained a concussion on top of his other injuries.

"Ok, but please don't swat at me. Setting your ribs will hurt." Bulma said as she gently reached out and placed her hands on his side; feeling around.

Vegeta nearly jumped off the table when he felt her gentle touch turn rough, and he felt her popping his ribs back into place. She was quick and efficient, causing the least amount of pain, but it still stung. He glared at her and growled out his displeasure, but made no other move against her.

Bulma ignored his protest, and quickly taped and wrapped his ribs. Once she'd tackled that she moved onto his hand. She poked around feeling for any broken bones; when she didn't feel anything out of sorts she asked him to make a fist, and release. He obeyed, and she was extremely relieved to see he hadn't lost any function. She quickly cleaned the areas, administered a local, and sutured up the area before Vegeta lost too much more blood. He was already looking pale.

"How much longer is this going to take, woman?" Vegeta growled as he watched her work. He was pleased with her speed, and was rather surprised at her skill as not only a technician, but a doctor. He would never mention it to Bulma, but he was grateful for her gentle hands, and calm demeanor. If it hadn't been for her, he would most likely have freaked out, and flown off somewhere to set his own ribs, and allow his body to heal naturally. He cringed as he looked at his crooked tail. He didn't know about her setting that. A Saiyan could withstand an extraordinary amount of pain in their bodies, but their tails were filled with nerve endings, making it extremely sensitive. One tug could bring even the biggest brute to their knees.

Bulma finished sewing, and bandaging the last of Vegeta's wounds, and took a few minutes to check him over for any wounds she may have missed. It was then she noticed the slathering of scars that marred his otherwise God like physique. She turned away toward her cart to hide her blush. She'd never even thought of Vegeta in that way, but now that it was practically on full display in front of her, and under her hands, Bulma was forced to admit how handsome Vegeta really was. She couldn't explain it. The scars on Yaumcha's face were slightly disconcerting to her, but the scars that littered Vegeta's only added to his wildly good looks.

'This is not good.' She thought to herself with a frown. She didn't need to see Vegeta as a person. Sure she felt compelled to help him, she didn't want him to die, but she also didn't want to get attached to him in any way either. He was a monster; a murderer. He was sadistic, rude, abrasive, terrifying, and he was staring at her with the most relaxed expression. She cocked her head in confusion.

Vegeta lie on his back simply watching Bulma as she turned to, what he thought, get some more supplies. She'd kept her word about tending to his wounds, and had done an amazing job thus far. All the locals she'd used had left his body feeling numb to the pain nearly everywhere except his tail, and for some reason he was able to ignore it as he stared at her confused little face. He smirked at her, and glanced down at his tail before returning his gaze to hers. He frowned when he saw the look of uncertainty and dread flash in her eyes. He immediately tensed in response.

"What's the matter woman?" He asked as he eyed her warily. He didn't like her hesitance, and felt her unease rub off on him in waves. When she said nothing, and chewed her thumbnail as she contemplated her response he growled low in his throat. He reached out and snatched her by the elbow, and gently pulled her hand away from her mouth.

Bulma stared in awe as Vegeta forced her to stop chewing her nail. She hadn't even realized she was doing it, but sighed and directed her attention back to the source of her dread.

"Vegeta, I don't want to cause you any more pain than I've already had to. If I try to relocate your tail, you're likely to pass out. I just don't know if I can do that." Bulma said as she pleaded with her eyes. She knew how sensitive a Saiyan's tail could be, and she just knew she would be asking for trouble if she set it.

Vegeta's smirk faded into a look of grim acceptance. He knew she was right, but he wasn't about to walk around with a crooked tail; he'd just as soon have it cut off. He growled, and quickly snatched her hand and pulled her closer to his side, and motioned for her to do what she had to do behind gritted teeth.

Bulma hesitated, but seeing the determination in his eyes felt her resolve to help him return. She placed her hands on his tail, and watched as he steeled himself for the inevitable. She took a deep breath, and quickly pulled his tail straight.

Vegeta saw a flash of bright white, and felt the searing pain shoot through every fiber of his being, and burn a trail of fire all the way up his spine to explode in his brain. He let out a deep roar of pain, and his body shook with the magnitude of it. He'd never felt such pain, and he curled his hands into fists against his forehead, grit his teeth, and clenched his eyes shut in response. To hell with appearances, that shit hurt like hell.

Bulma jumped back at his reaction and something in her stirred as she watched him ride out the pain. She didn't know what to do for him, and did the only thing she could think of at the time. She took his tail in her hands, and slowly began to massage the tender area as softly as she could to ease the pain. She watched as his body ever so slowly started to relax, and his erratic breathing evened out. The look of pain that creased his brow faded out, and she smiled when he let out a low rumble, and sighed in what she guessed was relief. She continued to massage his tail for a few more minutes, and relished in the fact that he was calm. She didn't mind being around him when he was this relaxed. Her fear of him harming her was pushed to the back of her mind.

The pain had instantly stopped the minute she touched his tail. Whatever she was doing he prayed to whatever gods were out there that she wouldn't stop. He cracked his eyes open, and looked at her through half lidded lashes. He was well aware of her ignorance when it came to his tail, and understood she was just trying to help, but by Kami if she only knew what she was doing to him. He groaned as the pleasure slowly made its way lower, and reluctantly stilled her skilled hands from their ministrations, and slid his tail from between her fingers. That was the last thing he needed at the moment. He watched the confusion flash across her face, and was grateful that she didn't question his actions. He doubted she'd have liked the answer.

Bulma released his tail when she felt his hand on hers, and allowed it to pass through her fingers. She was glad to see that it wasn't causing him anymore pain, and she smiled at him as she placed her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm going to give you some fluids, and a morphine drip. That should help with the pain once the locals wear off. It will probably make you sleepy, but that's a good thing. You need to rest." Bulma said as she stuck the IV into his vein, and hooked the bag tube to its end. She then added the Morphine, and sat in the chair by his side. She smiled softly at him as he glared at her.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to put me under, woman." Vegeta accused as he felt the sedative kick in. He'd never been a fan of medically induced slumber, and hated not being alert.

Bulma understood him perfectly, and placed her palm on his head before running her hand through his hair, and placing a chaste kiss on his forehead. She then leaned back, and smiled.

"I know you a little better than you give me credit for Mr., and I'm not letting you out of my sights until I know you're back to normal." She said as she smirked at his disgruntled expression.

"Don't ever do that again." He growled as he swiped his hand against his forehead. He wasn't sure what she'd meant to do by pressing her mouth against his person, but he wasn't fond of it.

Bulma chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Buddy you have no idea. Guys would line up around the block to get this kind of treatment from me. You should just be so lucky." Bulma teased as she stood from the chair. She could tell the medicine was kicking in, and wasn't surprised that Vegeta was fighting it with everything his body had. Unfortunately she'd anticipated it, and given him the strongest dose she could. She smirked triumphantly as she watched his heavy lids fall, and his breathing even out as sleep finally claimed him.

"Now I can go for a jog, and get started on my day." Bulma said as she tip toed out of the room, and gently shut the door behind her.

"What ya got there Bulma?" Dr. Briefs asked as he watched his daughter exit their med wing.

"Vegeta tore himself up pretty bad. He's resting now. I loaded him up with some morphine. He's going to be flying high as a kite before long. Right now he's asleep. I'm just going for my morning jog. I won't be gone long." Bulma said as her father gave her a warning look.

"Don't leave him alone for too long. He's injured, and needs constant supervision. I don't want to remind you he's not human, and likely to get himself into some serious trouble if he tries to fight the medication you've given him." Dr. Briefs wisely instructed.

Bulma frowned, but nodded in agreement. "Sure thing daddy. I'll go run, and when I get back I'll grab some charts from the lab to do while I wait for him to wake up." She said as she made her way to her room.

"Bulma, take Kane with you!" Dr. Briefs yelled after his daughter as she ran up the stairs. Despite his dislike of dogs in general he found himself warming up to Kane. The dog was a force to be reckoned with, and was extremely useful when he needed to move heavy equipment between labs. The dog could pull nearly two tons loaded onto a cart, and had proven on more than one occasion that he was capable of protecting the family from harm if the need arose.

A sudden thought pierced his already jumbled mind, and the good Dr. frowned. He didn't know where the thought had come from, but it wasn't good.' Just like Vegeta.' Dr. Briefs thought as he stared out the window where his wife and Kane were digging in the garden. He couldn't help but notice the similarities between the dog and their unruly house guest. Both lived with a horrible reputation, both were feared everywhere they went, both were incredibly strong, and capable of killing anything that opposed them. Yet both seemed to have a generally neutral personality, and an affinity for his daughter. He wasn't concerned about the dog, but Vegeta worried him. Dr. Briefs hadn't missed the way Vegeta looked at his daughter, and wasn't sure he liked what he was seeing. The boy didn't have any idea what he was doing; that much was certain, but Dr. Briefs worried that Vegeta would figure it out one day.

'I'm going to have to keep an eye on that one.' He thought as he took a drag from his cigarette, and scratched his black cat behind the ear.

Once she'd reached her room, Bulma quickly donned her black cotton running shorts, and her black sports bra. After all the action on Namek, Bulma was in the best shape of her life. She beamed as she stared at her reflection in her full length mirror, and laughed after striking a body builder pose. She rolled her eyes at herself, and grabbed a hair tie and pulled her hair into a loose bun. She then slid a piece of red cut fabric around her head to keep the stray hairs at bay. She took one last look at herself in the mirror to make sure her hair would hold. She then snagged a pair of runner's socks, her black knee brace, and her New Balance cross trainers before she headed down the stairs. She slipped her knee brace over her right knee, then her socks and shoes.

'Ok, now where is that dopey dog?' Bulma thought as she grabbed her ear buds, and slid them in her ears.

"Hey dad, have you seen Kane?" Bulma asked as she entered the kitchen, and rolled her eyes when the old man simply pointed out the back window. She should have known he was with her mother.

"Thanks."

"Kane! Come on, let's go run!" Bulma yelled as she started jogging down the driveway.

Kane's head shot up as he heard the word run, and immediately charged after Bulma's retreating form at full speed. Once he was by her side he took to her pace instantly, and looked up to her with his tongue hanging out and a wide smile on his face.

Bulma laughed when she was nearly bowled over by her own dog, but shoved him over so as not to trip over him. She knew he'd come running when she said the R word, but he was starting to get a little too big for his puppy antics. She sighed, and changed her iPod to a song with a cadence beat, and sped up her pace. She had five miles to go, and she was determined to make them all six minutes or less. She'd run cross country and track her entire high school career, and even went to the gym with the boys to lift weights. She was nowhere near as strong as they were, but for a female her size and weight, she was a lot stronger than many gave her credit for. She also possessed an extreme amount of endurance, and was fond of the American shows. The UFC was her favorite, and she'd found herself inexplicably drawn to MMA. She'd studied a few different fighting styles, and entered a few underground competitions, but never mentioned them to any of her friends. She liked them to think she was as helpless as she looked, but she didn't want to actually play the part.

'I hope that knucklehead hasn't tried anything funny.' Bulma thought as she rounded the corner, and headed for the beach. She preferred the sand dunes for resistance training, and was glad there weren't many people on the beach that day. There were a few beach bums, and a shit ton of surfers, but they were on the waves and out of her hair.

Kane barked, and growled as a man on a bicycle passed by too close, and the man nearly fell off his bike in fright. Bulma laughed, and patted Kane's head, and waved a sorry to the poor man. She'd have to work on his manners.

'Today is going to be a good day, I can feel it.' Bulma thought as she took a deep breath, and pushed her body to its limits.

If only she knew how wrong she was.

Author's Note: Ok, I know that Kane is a random addition to the story, but he's there for some parallelism and some comic relief at times. He's also to show Vegeta's slow acceptance of humanity. I'm done explaining. Anyway, thanks to all my faithful reviewers, and I want you all to know that you are what keeps the updates coming on the regular. Well, except this one because I've had the world's shittiest week. I just found out that I have a bulged disc in my lower back from lifting, and I have to take six more weeks off work. BOO! Then, my husband wants to act like a douche, and I'm still pissed at him, aaaannnnnd, my mother is completely overbearing, and came to my house the other day to tell me everything I'm doing wrong. Sigh, someone shoot me. Ok, well enough of my ranting. Read and review and you shall get another chapter!

QAM-andy: Thanks. It's nice to know someone hasn't been offended or grossed out by my story…lol, and I'm glad that my story has caught your attention.

Eismaus: Thank you soo much!

DeathwillDevour: I hope my above explanation is good enough for ya.

Willow the Armadillo: Ya, I like reading lemons, but I'm not so good a writing them. I get embarrassed easily…lol. Any help would be appreciated, but I don't plan on there being a lemon in this story. It will be implied, however. ^_-

Rin's Lantern: I have become hopelessly addicted to left 4dead, and I couldn't help but put that in. I don't know what prompted it, but I just thought it would be funny to make Vegeta a little more curious. Thanks for the kudos.

VBR: YAAAA, thank you!

MK08: Huggles. Thank you for that lovely review.

Infinite Pen: Your review was inspiring. Thanks for letting me know I'm not alone on the lemon front…lol. I've actually based Yaumcha's character in this story off of one of my former boyfriends. 0_o Ya, not cool. Thus the reason I'm married to someone else and the douche is alone. I find that real live people and situations make writing a little easier. They give you something to go on.


	10. Chapter 10

Unintentionally On Purpose

Author's Note: Ya, Vegeta is OOC, but I don't think he's too much. I mean, he really isn't absolutely crazy while living with the briefs; just acts like a grump most of the time. He blushes when Mrs. Briefs and Bulma make him uncomfortable with their comments, he's horrified by the pink shirt, and is even distracted from pounding Yaumcha's face in by Bulma's barbeque sauce inquire. Sooo, I don't think his behavior is too farfetched. I don't know, it's just me, but this chapter will hopefully placate those of you who are unhappy with how I've portrayed Vegeta in the last few chapters. Trust me, he's no cuddly teddy bear, and he's going to remind some people of that fact.

She felt like her lungs and heart were about to leap from her chest. Her knee was throbbing painfully, causing her a slight gimp in her pace. Her messy bun was falling down, and she was covered in a light sheen of sweat.

'OH COME ON!' Bulma thought exasperatedly when she cast a glance to her running partner who didn't even look winded. Apparently dogs were better suited for this type of exercise, but it still irritated Bulma that she had been bested by a puppy. She groaned in relief as she rounded the house.

'Almost there, come on Bulma, kick it in!' She thought as she forced herself to sprint the rest of the way up the long driveway. Once she reached her destination she immediately collapsed in the plush grass, and began doing her cool down stretches while Kane meandered over to her mother's garden to hit Mrs. Briefs up for a drink from the hose.

"Oh, you're back already, dear? How was your run?" Mrs. Briefs asked as she craned the hose for Kane to get a drink.

"Good. Steady six minute miles. I'm shavin of a few seconds each week." Bulma panted as she stood to her feet and brushed the grass from her rear. She looked toward the horizon, and was glad to see that she'd made it home before dark. Now, was her time. Bulma was a night owl, and keeping an eye on Vegeta was going to be a round the clock job. She didn't worry though because she was used to staying up for days on end. She smiled at the though. That was why she was so addicted to coffee.

"Your father wanted me to tell you he put your laptop and some blueprints outside the medical wing for you. He also wanted you to take a peek at Vegeta before you head up to get your shower. He was worried about leaving Vegeta to wake up alone." Bunny said as she turned back to watering her flowers.

Bulma frowned. She hadn't thought about how Vegeta would react upon waking in unfamiliar surroundings. She never had a problem remembering where she was when she woke, but she knew Krillin, and Gohan both were pretty bad about being disoriented when they first woke up, and she prayed Vegeta wasn't going to be worse. She'd been told by her friends that fighting usually did that to ya.

"Ok, I'm on it." Bulma said as she wiped the sweat from her forehead, and walked through the back door. She paused only to grab a cold bottle of water from the fridge as she made her way through the corridors toward the medical wing.

He felt heavy. His senses were dulled, and he couldn't seem to pull himself out of whatever haze he was in. His mouth was dry, and he felt numb. He opened his eyes, and immediately shut them against the harsh lights that shone from above. He wasn't in his room, but he couldn't quite remember what had happened to him. He started to panic when he felt a throbbing in his side, and he cracked his left eye open to check himself. His eyes shot open when he caught sight of the bandages that littered his already mangled body. He growled in angst.

'Where the, ah, the woman placed me here.' He thought as he recalled the events of the past few hours. He frowned as he recalled her attention to his tail, and he growled. That woman had no business touching his tail after she'd set it; in fact, she need not shower him with her false affections. He was capable of taking care of himself. He'd done so for twenty some odd years without the constant coddling of an overprotective, and overbearing woman. He snorted as he ripped the IV from his arm, and pulled the monitors off his body. He snarled at the harsh long beeping sound it emitted, and blasted the damned thing to shut it up.

'I must get back to my training. I've wasted enough time here.' Vegeta thought as he gingerly moved about to gain a better feeling for what movements caused the most, and least amount of pain. He knew deep down that he was in no real condition to continue his training, but for some odd reason he couldn't shake the habits he'd formed while under Frieza. He always felt like he had to fight for everything; despite the fact he knew the people around him were capable of simply providing him whatever he wanted without effort. He snorted. He was becoming dependant, and he didn't like that one bit.

THUMP THUMP THUMP!

His ears perked at the sound of footsteps on the stairs, and he instinctively placed himself against the wall next to the door. He listened intently, and sniffed the air, but his senses were dulled by the Morphine, and he wasn't able to accurately discern who it was approaching.

The door cracked open, and the minute he was able to catch a glimpse of flesh; Vegeta pounced.

Bulma felt a strong forearm wrap around her throat, and a hand placed on the back of her head pushing her into the elbow; effectively cutting off her air supply. She gasped, and instantly struggled in her captors grasp; clawing and kicking out at anything she could. She'd never been fond of headlocks.

Vegeta's eyes widened in surprise when he registered just who he had in a choke hold; he instantly dropped the woman to the floor, and glared down at her accusingly.

'What the hell was that blasted female thinking. I could have snapped her head off.' Vegeta thought as he regarded the female with little interest. He knew his ears were in for a verbal assault, and was actually grateful for the drugs working to numb his senses. He might just avoid having his ears bleed.

Bulma stared at the floor in a daze, coughing, and wheezing as she tried to catch her breath. That was the second time he'd tried to choke the life out of her. However, she was not dense; she knew from his swift release that he hadn't intended to harm her. He was just protecting himself. She felt something wet on her calf, and realized belatedly her forgotten bottle of water. Apparently she'd dropped it. She scooped it up and tossed it in the trash, ignoring the water on the floor as she turned to stare at Vegeta's back.

'The Morphine must have really messed with his head.' She thought as she chanced a look at his face. She growled at him in irritation when she realized he wasn't even the least bit concerned for her well being, then again, why should he? For some unknown reason his lack of concern angered her.

"HOW DARE YOU, YOU ASSHOLE!!! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!?! I FEED YOU, CLOTHE YOU, AND TREAT YOUR WOUNDS AND THIS IS HOW YOU THANK ME!?! FUCK!" Bulma screamed as she threw a medical kit at his head.

Vegeta turned and batted the kit away, but was surprised when it opened on contact, and the contents spewed everywhere on the floor. He then glared at Bulma, and growled at her in contempt.

"How dare I? Listen here you little bitch, you're not the one who calls the shots when it comes to me. I don't care what you think. I do what I want, when I want, and how I want, without regard for you or yours. So kindly, get the fuck out of my way before I break my oath, and rip your throat out, and feast on your intestines right here in this room. " Vegeta growled. His words came out barely above a whisper, and Bulma's eyes widened in fright; he just might make due on his threat. He sneered at her open display of fear, and snorted. She was more pathetic than he'd originally given her credit for.

He took in her appearance, and was surprised. She was wearing shorts and a tight tank top with sneakers, and she had some wired device hanging around her neck. Her hair was messy, and she smelled of sweat and grass. He'd never seen the female look the way she did at that moment, and he was torn between disgust and awe. Despite her weakness, and her tiny frame, it was easy to see she was strong for her gender. She wasn't bulky like a man, but she had enough muscle definition to show. She was long and lean, and in excellent physical condition. He cocked his head as he regarded her; not as angry with her as he was before. His tail swayed behind him in contentment.

Bulma understood his gaze perfectly, and sighed. He wasn't checking her out, but merely taking in her appearance. She assumed he'd never seen a human female who actually worked out. It probably confused him. She sighed.

"Look. I wasn't trying to tell you what to do just because I feel like it. I'm telling you what to do because for some crazy reason I want to help you, and you obviously don't know how to care for yourself properly. I don't know who taught you how to do things, but beating yourself up just so you can get stronger will only have adverse effects later on. Trust me; I'm a doctor, sort of." Bulma tried to reason as she watched Vegeta make his way towards the door; clearly finished with his inspection.

"Don't presume to know everything about a Saiyan's physical needs, and requirements woman. The Saiyan you've been in close contact with was raised by humans. I on the other hand, am a true Saiyan; born and raised as such. You truly think you really know anything about me?" Vegeta sneered as he rounded on her, getting right up in her face, his anger blinding him to everything around him. He was furious that she dared poke and prod him. He was no animal.

'Who does this woman think she is?' He thought absently.

Bulma flinched, and shrunk away, trying to lower her gaze, but every time she tried to duck him, he moved his face right along with hers. He was forcing her to look at him when she answered. She didn't like his proximity, and certainly not his overbearing attitude. He was smothering her, and she had the passing thought of knowing what a cornered mouse must feel like. She licked her lips nervously as she pleaded with her eyes for him to back off. No such luck.

"Vegeta, please, I never said I knew anything about you or your race. I'm just saying that you need to give yourself time to heal. I've seen how fast you Saiyans can heal, but it's not instant. It takes time, and all I'm asking you to do is let me change your bandages, and to take a few days to rest. You can't tell me you're not in pain. I can see it. Why is it so hard for you to understand that I'm just trying to help?" Bulma argued as she tried in vain to put some distance between their bodies.

She could feel his warm breath on her face and his rock hard chest press against hers as it rose and fell with each of his heaving breaths.

Vegeta glared at her silently. He didn't really know what to make of the little female. He had her backed into a corner, literally, yet she didn't falter in her convictions to help him. He'd never known kindness. He'd never known compassion, or empathy. He didn't want her pity, but something in him was pulled by her insistence to assist him, and not for the first time since he'd taken up residence within her home, he relented to her request.

"Alright woman, two days, that is all I will stand for. And if you are so insistent on helping, in the mean time I suggest you repair the GR, and equip it with more battle droids. The ones you supplied before were pathetic to say the least." Vegeta said as he took a step back, allowing the female some room to breathe. He could tell he'd made her uncomfortable, but that was the intent. He may not want the female to fear him, but she would respect him and his desire to be left alone.

"Vegeta, let me make one thing clear to you. I want to help you, but I am not your slave. You can ask nicely for something, but don't you dare try to tell me what to do in my own home. I'll not put up with your macho bull shit. It only pisses me off." Bulma raged as she pointed her finger in his face for emphasis.

He growled, and swatted her finger away, and grabbed her round the neck, bringing her inches from his face.

"Never talk to me that way again woman, or it may be the last thing you say." Vegeta said; his eyes devoid of all emotion.

Before she had time to think Bulma felt herself being pressed against the far wall; her feet dangling a few inches from the ground to stare eye to eye with Vegeta's menacing scowl. Her neck was on fire, but she didn't seem to notice, all she could focus on was the unreadable expression on Vegeta's face.

"Oh, and woman. Don't ever touch my tail without my expressed permission ever again. Do you understand?" He quietly raged as he held her in place.

"I was just trying to…" Bulma was cut off as she felt his hand tighten, and his left knee come up to part her legs. She let out a loud gasp of horror, and turned terrified eyes upward.

"Vegeta, don't. " Was all she could think to say. She wasn't sure what he was planning to do, but whatever it was she was certain it wouldn't end well for her.

Vegeta smirked as he leaned in closer to whisper in her ear. "I know you were trying to help, as you've put it a thousand times, but really, I don't give a fuck. Don't touch my tail. I think I'll show you what it's like for me when you touch my tail. Maybe then you'll learn," Vegeta growled as he slowly slid his free hand up the inside of her thigh.

Bulma tried to wriggle out of his grasp, and to let out a scream, but his hold on her neck, and the weight of his body against hers was too great. Tears sprang to her eyes as she tried in vain to shove his body off. He was going to rape her, and there wasn't a single thing she could do to stop him.

Vegeta's hand gently teased the inside of her thigh before flittering across the crotch of her track shorts to the other side. He watched as tears fell from her eyes, and smirked triumphantly as her sweet scent reached his nose. As much as she didn't want his attentions; her little body was responding just the way he hoped it would. She was aroused, and that was all he wanted. Unfortunately for Vegeta, her scent, and reaction was starting to become a little inspiring. He growled in anger. He just couldn't catch a break.

'Focus idiot.' He cursed himself mentally.

Bulma's heart was beating a mile a minute and she couldn't help the shiver of desire that raced up her spine only to shoot back down into her stomach. She immediately recognized the sensation, and her eyes grew cloudy with desire. He hadn't even touched her, but part of her wanted him to. He wasn't really even doing anything to her. She'd almost forgotten what it was like to be touched by a man. Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks as she physically tried her hardest to close her legs, and shove Vegeta away from her, but her body was rebelling against her in the worst way.

When he suddenly stopped his ministrations and stilled his hand at her waist, Bulma's eyes suddenly cleared, and she shot Vegeta a look that could set daises on fire. She knew what his game was, and she was pissed.

Satisfied that he'd made his point, Vegeta released Bulma from his hold, and removed his knee, and roaming hand. He crossed his arms, and turned slightly away from her, and watched out of his peripheral as she slid to the ground in a graceless heap blue eyes blazing at his audacity. He felt a twinge of something in his chest, but pushed it away, and knelt down in front of her. He gently lifted her chin, and forced her to meet his eyes. The look she gave him said everything. She was pissed at him.

'What right does she have?' He thought as his tail snaked around his own waist protectively.

"Now do you understand?" He growled out as he snarled at her. He wasn't exactly certain what prompted him to demonstrate his point, but there was no going back, and he wasn't about to feel badly about it.

Now that she realized she wasn't in any real danger, Bulma had time to process his actions, and words. His last statement, 'Now do you understand?' kept ringing in her head till she finally understood; suddenly she felt sick to her stomach with embarrassment.

'Oh Kami.' Was all she could think as the weight settled down on her. She'd basically groped him, and made him… She stopped her train of thought right there, and her cheeks turned a bright red. She sheepishly peered at him from under her lashes, and offered an apologetic look along with a nod of affirmation. She was dying inside with mortification. How did she get herself into these situations? This was worse than accidentally changing in the wrong locker room at a track meet. O_o. (A/N: No, that never happened to me. -_- sigh, yes it did.)

"Why didn't you say anything?" Bulma asked when Vegeta withdrew his hand, and stood.

He turned his back to her to hide his blush. 'Because I liked it.' Raced though his mind, but he'd die before admitting such a thing. His tail lashed about behind him at the unbidden thought.

"I just assumed you knew, and did it on purpose." He lied.

Bulma's face turned red from embarrassment, and from anger. "How dare you assume I'd intentionally do such a thing? What kind of woman do you think I am? DO NOT ANSWER THAT!" Bulma raged, and cut Vegeta off when she noticed his mischievous smirk.

"Well, now how was I supposed to know? You humans don't have tails, and as you said before, you've known Kakkarot your entire life. I merely assumed you knew what our tails were capable of. You did say that you knew some things about Saiyan's and their anatomy." He taunted.

Bulma was flabbergasted. The look on his face made her want to slap him again. He looked like a little kitten with the cream.

'That's it! No one makes fun of Bulma Briefs!' She raged internally.

"Now wait just a minute! Don't turn my words around Vegeta. You know darn good and well…"

"Do I?" He interrupted as he twitched his tail teasingly in her face as if to dare her to touch it again.

"GRRRRR! JUST FORGET IT! Now sit down so I can change your bandages. KAMI!" Bulma raged in both irritation, and embarrassment. How he could do what he did to her, and somehow get away with it was beyond her. She'd be damned if she let him get the best of her again.

Vegeta chuckled behind her back as he watched Bulma rip open doors, slam drawers, and throw a downright humorous temper tantrum. He'd gotten to her this time, and was rather pleased at the outcome. His tail twitched merrily behind him, and he gasped in horror as he snatched his tail up in his hands when it started to wag uncontrollably like a dogs. He'd never had that problem before. He glared down at the offending appendage, and gave it a good shake before bringing it to his mouth for a good nibble.

Bulma, after taking her initial frustration out on her medical supplies turned back to where Vegeta was sitting, and nearly burst out laughing.

"What is your problem woman? Are you ill?" Vegeta asked as he watched Bulma collapse into a nearby chair, upended by her bouts of laughter.

"Why, Oh why, Oh why, do you do that?! It's so damned funny." Bulma said around her laughter as she pointed to his tail.

Vegeta looked at his tail, and back to the woman as he contemplated her question. Then, it dawned on him.

"Why do you feel the need to chew your nails?"

Bulma sobered up, and thought about his question as she gathered her supplies, and dumped them on the table beside his bed.

"I just do that when I'm nervous, or I'm thinking about stuff. It's a bad habit I know, but even when my mom put that nasty tasting stuff on my nails to help… sigh, I just couldn't stop." Bulma said as she raised her hand, and examined her ripped and torn nails.

"My answer is the same, but I don't bite my tail, usually." He said the last part so she couldn't hear as he thought back to his shower, and shuddered. He really needed to take better care of his tail.

"Well, there ya go I guess." She laughed as she went about unwrapping, and rewrapping his bandages.

They fell silent as she worked, and Vegeta found he didn't mind the little female as much as he thought he would. She was extremely annoying at best, and he found that she would be quite the good little companion if she'd only learn to keep her mouth shut and do as he said. He smirked at the thought.

"What are you smirking about?" She asked as she caught sight of his profile while wrapping his ribs. She knew that smirk, and it never meant anything good.

He frowned and shook his head. Apparently that was never going to happen. He went back to watching her hands work. They were small, and she had long fingers. Her nails were short, some were bloody from her incessant chewing, and others were chipped with paint. He cocked his head at the idea of any race painting themselves. Humans were extremely bizarre; even for him.

"There, all patched up. So, wanna go play some Xbox?" Bulma asked, immediately getting an 'Are you fucking crazy?' look from her patient. She sighed, shook her head, and rolled her eyes as she stood to stretch.

"Fine, suite yourself. I was going to bring the 42" up here so you and I could play a few games and watch some TV while you're recovering, but I can leave you to be bored if you want." Bulma tried to tempt, but when he simply laid back on his bed and closed his eyes; she knew she'd lost.

"You hungry?" Bulma tried as she turned to the door. She wanted to make sure he didn't feel the need to go for anymore late night snacks.

He opened his eyes, and let out a sound that resembled a sigh mixed with a growl. His patience with her was waning. He was completely drained of energy, and wanted nothing more than to sleep. He looked at the clock on the wall that read 12:00am, and groaned. Where had all the time gone? He should be training, not humoring some annoying little wench's plea for his safety.

"No." Was his curt reply as he ran his teeth across the back of his arm, creating a tiny slit in his skin. He felt slightly better, and lapped at his blood while thinking.

Bulma nearly jumped through the roof when she saw it.

"WOAH! HEY LOOK!!! You're making yourself bleed! Stop that!" She yelled as she lunged at him, and tore his arm from his mouth to examine the marks. It was then that she noticed his forearm was littered with faint, barely there, little marks like the one she was looking at, and she couldn't help but wonder. Her gaze hardened, and she sat on the bed beside him as she held a bandage to his arm.

"Why did you do that?" She nearly whispered as she watched her hands on his arm.

He was surprised by her sudden concern, and even more surprised that he allowed her to freely handle him. He grumbled to himself in his dead language, and looked at her in irritation. She asked too many questions, and he really didn't feel like explaining himself to her, but felt he could answer her one last question.

"Will it shut you up with your idiotic questions if I tell you?" He groused.

Bulma nodded her head sadly as she checked to see if his bleeding had slowed, and removed the pad when she'd seen there was nothing left to throw it in the biohazard waste bin.

"Like you, I have certain vices I do when stressed or irritated. Tail chewing is not uncommon for a Saiyan, but I'll admit, it is a rather juvenile habit. I just never seemed to shake it. The other vice," He said while indicating to his arm. " is one I've developed over the years. Do not ask any more questions woman, I've had quite enough." Vegeta growled when he saw her open her mouth to ask some other pointless question.

Bulma sat silently by his side for a few more moments absently picking at a drop of blood that stained the sheets.

"Don't do that, please?" Bulma said as she continued to stare at the bloody sheets. She'd lost one friend to self mutilation; she wasn't about to get close enough to Vegeta so it could happen again.

Vegeta's nose twitched and he cast his female companion a tired look as he waited for her to finish her statement, but she said nothing else. His eyes then turned to her face, and he was surprised to see a saddened far off expression. She was in the past. He could relate sometimes.

"What does it matter?" He rumbled as his tail wound around her wrist. It's tip gently rubbing against her pulse point.

Bulma made no move to touch his tail because she'd not been give permission. She never forgot a lesson learned, and despite her desire to touch its baby soft fur, she refrained. Instead, she let out a small sad sigh, and gently raised her arm out of its reach as she stood to leave. She knew Vegeta had some serious issues, but she just wasn't ready to deal with his demons. He wasn't her friend, family, or anything. She wasn't required to care for him in that way. She was merely there to heal his physical wounds alone.

Vegeta's tail hung in there air where it had released its grip around her wrist, and he loathed the fact that he'd wanted her to touch it. He knew it was something that brought her comfort, but he'd taken that away from her, and it seemed he'd somehow done something to make her leave. He'd not told her to go, so why was she leaving. He cocked his head, and narrowed his eyes in confusion as he watched her silently toss all the trash into the waste basket, and put away all her medical equipment. Something in him stirred as he watched her move about his room in a neutral fashion. He scented the air, but he could gather nothing of her feelings, and he frowned. He knew something was amiss, and it was his fault, but for some reason he couldn't figure it out. What had he done wrong? The one thing Vegeta hated more than being ignored was being confused, and right now, that was his only feeling, or so he thought.

"Where are you going?"

Bulma hesitated as her hand rested on the silver door knob. She looked at him over her shoulder, and shook her head. She was done talking. It was time to shower, and she wasn't about to miss out on hers. She felt disgusting.

"When I ask you a question woman, you're supposed to answer." Vegeta said with a little more feeling.

Bulma turned to face him at that, and scowled fiercely. He wanted an answer; boy was he going to get one.

"Ok, you wanna know why I'm leaving, I'll tell you. You have done nothing but scare me, insult me, threaten me and my friends/family, you've hurt me, you're ungrateful, sadistic, masochistic, paranoid, and you obviously don't want anything to do with me. Why would I stay somewhere I'm not wanted? You need food, the GR repaired, your bandages changed, or wounds dressed, call me. Other than that, I'll stay out of your way. No more trying to make friends, no more trying to get to know you. You want me to leave you alone, well here ya go. I'm done!" Bulma said before turning, and storming out the door; slamming it behind her.

Vegeta sat shell shocked. No one had ever dared to speak to him the way that woman had, and yet she still left the room under her own power. Something in the way she said her peace chilled him.

'Incredible' He thought as he tried to understand why he just sat in bed and took it. Everything she'd said had pretty much been on target, but he hadn't asked her for more than what she was already giving him, right? He'd never expressed interest in her company. Suddenly he was brought back to their meal a few months back. He'd shared his food with her, and when he'd been hurt she'd shared food with him. He had expressed interest, and she'd given him what he'd asked for.

"Things are getting too complicated." He thought as he reached behind his head, and drew the pillow up over his eyes to shield them from the harsh lights. He'd have to remember to tell the woman to turn them off the next time.

Clack Clack Clack Clack.

The feeling of something wet on his underarm caused Vegeta to peer out from under his pillow. His eyes widened when he saw the culprit's pale blue eyes staring right at him.

'Is this that little whisp of a thing the woman called a puppy?' He thought as he took in the animal's appearance. It wore a thick black silver spiked collar, and a couple dog tags hung from its clasp. It was nothing but solid muscle. The dog didn't look like anything he'd ever seen, and he was impressed by the obvious strength it possessed. It had a wide set chest, and a massive head and jaws. Its ears were short and pointed, and it had powerful looking legs. Vegeta had to admit the woman had been correct in her description of the dog. Now that it was older he could see how any human would be afraid of it.

RRRR

The dog let out a low rumble of a bark, and wagged his tail. Vegeta watched it with mild interest, but was unnerved when it continued to stare him in the eye. Finally after a few more seconds the dog looked away. Vegeta smirked. He then reached down and scratched the dog on the head, and was rewarded by the dog gently mouthing his arm, and its tail wagging excitedly.

"Not now mutt." Vegeta growled as he pulled his hand away and motioned for the dog to leave him. However, he was stunned when the dog simply plopped down on the floor by his bed, and promptly fell asleep.

Vegeta shrugged to himself, and settled back onto his bed intending to catch some sleep. He wasn't about to concern himself with the stupid mutt, but he had to admit; it was a cool dog. He'd have to ask the woman its name when she came back; if she came back. Her words from before echoed in his head, and he wondered if maybe he'd pushed her too far.

'Not my problem.' He finally thought as he drifted off to sleep; only half irritated at the snoring sounds coming from his bedside.

Author's Note: Not much to say really. This is the chapter; hope you like it, blah, blah, blah. I really like reviews so if you want another chapter you know what to do.

Kairi: Thanks so much for your encouraging review. It means a lot to know you enjoy it. Thanks to for your encouragement. My week is going better. ^_^

Phoenixarrow: I'm glad you like.

Ygolodohtem: thank you much

WillowtheArmadillow: I'm glad you think so. I hate how she's either so whiny or Yaumcha's an ass. They stay friends in the series so it couldn't have been that bad.

InfinitePen: Thank you so much for your input, and your encouragement.

MelodiMoon: I will be updating as soon as I can crank one out…lol. ^_^

VBR: As always; thank you!


	11. Chapter 11

Give and Take; or Just Take

Author's Note: Here is another update out of fear of being smacked O_o!!! I'm sorry for the delay. I was on vacation, and didn't have access to a computer.

Bulma stripped out of her dirty running clothes and dropped them on the floor by the tub. She wrinkled her nose in disgust as she thought about her earlier argument with Vegeta.

'That bastard has got to learn some manners.' She growled as she reached through the curtain to set the water temp. She turned around, and stared at her hair in the mirror. She'd straightened it a few months ago, and was pleased to have her long wavy locks back. She gently pulled her tie out, and let her hair fall around her shoulders. It came to just above her backside, and she was debating on whether or not to donate the bulk of it to locks of love. She sighed, and shook her head. She wasn't ready to give it up just yet.

"Maybe I'll do it in a year or two." She said moved away from the vanity mirror and stepped toward the shower. She smiled to herself as she moved the curtain to the side and stepped under the lukewarm spray. She hated cold showers, but she didn't feel like roasting her already heated flesh. She grabbed her loofa and her night blooming jasmine and lavender body wash then lathered up. As she washed her body she thought about everything and nothing at the same time. She thought about Yaumcha, Vegeta, her friends, and her family, and suddenly she thought of something.

'I haven't had a party here for a long time. Mom loves playing hostess and dad's actually fun when he gets some liquid courage in him.' She thought. 'I can't wait! Oh, this is going to be so much fun!' Bulma smiled as she reached for the razor and her shaving cream. She frowned when she noticed her shaving cream had run out, and narrowed her eyes as she eyed her fathers. She knew he hated when anyone used his toiletries, but she knew he wouldn't notice. She squirted a small amount onto her hands, and continued. After shaving she washed her hair with her mother's Nivia Shampoo, and was pleasantly surprised at how much she liked it. She usually just stuck with her Mane and Tail shampoo, but she was beginning to think about switching up. She'd thought it funny when she found that Vegeta had been using her shampoo, but had to admit the name probably encouraged him to use it. He did have a tail after all.

'Mmmmm, this smells good' She thought a she rinsed her hair, and body, and turned the shower off. She reached for her towel, and gave her head a good drying before wrapping it around her body. She quickly applied her body lotion, and facial moisturizer before throwing open the door, and walking down the hall to her room clad only in her fluffy white towel. She wouldn't say she was an exhibitionist by any stretch, but anything that covered more than her bathing suit was fine with her, and she felt comfortable walking around in a towel. Her family was close, and it was normal for them to share the same bathrooms. They had many different ones scattered throughout the compound and one in their rooms, but something within their family dynamic caused them to share the one hall bath on their personal level. She was close with her parents, and it just didn't bother her if her dad or mom had to pee while she was showering; it wasn't like she saw or heard anything. It was just how they were as a family. She assumed it was because she was the only child.

Once she reached her bedroom and shut the door she tossed her towel to the floor and donned her favorite pair of boy cut white underwear loose fitting pair of blue, green, and white pj shorts, and a blue spaghetti tank. She took a few steps toward her bed, but changed her mind as her knee made its presence known. Sighing in defeat she padded softly down to the kitchen. If she didn't take care of her knee now; she would regret it in the morning.

"Damn knee injury." Bulma grumbled as she gingerly made her way down the stairs.

"MOM!! Where is the saran wrap and baggies?" Bulma said as she stuck her head in one of the lower cabinets where the item in question was usually stored. She slammed the door in anger as she realized that her mother had, yet again, rearranged the kitchen. She hated when her mom did that; just when she was getting used to the new location of things her mom just had to go and change everything.

"Ah ha! Here we go." She said in triumph after finding the saran wrap and baggies tucked neatly away in the second drawer to her right along with the foil and other kitchen necessities.

Bulma then opened a freezer baggie and started to load it up with ice. She was so engrossed in what she was doing that she failed to notice the second occupant of the room.

Vegeta had grown bored, and unfortunately his sleep pattern had been thrown off due to his drug induced coma a few hours back. The clock now read two am, and he was slightly surprised the woman was still up. He watched as she filled a large plastic bag with frozen water, and after squeezing all the excess air out sealed it tight.

'What is that daft woman up to?' He thought as he noticed the saran wrap on the table. He watched as she retrieved a decent size square of paper towel, and folds it to the same size as the bag of ice. His eyebrow hitched when she raised one shapely tan leg to rest of the kitchen table; stretched straight. It was then he noticed the rather large jagged half circle scar on her knee that was followed up by multiple smaller scars surrounding it.

'What did that silly woman do to herself? Humans are so incredibly weak it's hard to say.' He scoffed as he returned his attention back to her current activities. He watched her place the paper towel over her knee followed by the bag of ice. He was utterly and completely thrown off when she reached for the box of saran wrap, and began the tedious task of wrapping the ice pack to her knee.

"What purpose does that serve?"

Bulma jumped, and nearly fell over at the gruff sounding voice. She turned to the kitchen entrance, and frowned at its occupant. Vegeta was leaning against the door frame, and had apparently been watching her.

"How long have you been standing there? I thought I told you to rest up?" Bulma scolded as she ripped the saran wrap from the box, and tucked it against her knee. She set the box on the table, and swung her leg to the floor. She'd had about as much of his attitude as she could stand, and she wasn't about to let half a knee cap keep her from kicking his ass.

Vegeta took in her stance, and bristled. She looked like she was preparing for a fight, and he wasn't in the mood to give her one. He had been genuinely curious, and he was determined to get his answer; even if it did piss her off. He smirked as he pushed his shoulder off the wall, and strode into the kitchen toward the fridge. He could feel Bulma's heated glare on his back as he bent to have a look inside.

"I have no intention on training if that is what you think. I am no longer tired, and your medications have made it nearly impossible for me to sleep. I was simply walking around the house out of boredom. Now, I'm hungry, so if you don't mind I would like to be left alone." He growled as he snatched the bag of turkey from the meat drawer, and began consuming its contents.

"Well, want me to make you a few dozen sandwiches? They'll fill ya up better than eating the turkey alone." Bulma offered. She was surprised by her lack of anger toward her surly houseguest, but she could tell he was drained, and she knew what it was like when sleep wasn't coming. Unfortunately for her she didn't realize that a laid up and subsequently sleep deprived Vegeta was an annoying Vegeta.

He paused mid bite, and regarded her as he considered her offer. His eyes shot to her injured knee, and after swallowing his mouth full of turkey shook his head a negative.

"Why don't you try and take care of your injury? I find it rather hypocritical of you to be so concerned about my well being when it is obvious you cannot eve care for yourself." He said as he set the turkey down on the table absentmindedly.

Bulma snatched the bag, and tossed it on the counter before going back to the fridge to retrieve the other items needed to make a sandwich.

"For your information I'm not injured. I'm just sore. Ice helps reduce the swelling, and takes the pain away. I hate medications, and I refuse to let some old busted knee get me down." Bulma said absently as she pulled all the slices of bread from the bread box.

"What could you possibly have done to yourself? Did you trip and scrape your knee? You humans are pathetically weak. I'm surprised you've lasted this long." Vegeta said as he gently reached around her shoulder, and snagged the first sandwich after its completion. He stayed in his place, and leaned against the counter by her side; munching slowly on the offered food.

"Sigh. Ya wanna know what really happened?" Bulma asked as she continued to add sandwiches to Vegeta's ever growing pile. He grabbed two more off the stack.

"Not really, but I bet you're going to tell me anyway right?" He grumbled. He'd really wanted to eat in peace, and the woman's constant prattling was starting to wear on his already taught nerves.

"When I was a senior in college, I decided to try my hand at MMA, that's Mixed Martial Arts if you are unaware of our Earthling terms.

She received a death glare from Vegeta, but it lacked the intended ferocity due to his puffed cheeks full of sandwich. Bulma ignored him, and continued.

" I guess I felt useless after Goku and the guys fought King Piccolo, and I wanted to try my hand at fighting." Bulma paused to look for another onion under the huge stack of items.

Vegeta's eyebrows rose in surprise, and his tail twitched in agitation at the thought of the tiny woman ever needing to fight for anything. Something about it seemed wrong to him. Never had he thought of a woman the way he thought of this tiny female. He'd seen women fight alongside men, and die just the same, but he never thought anything about it. Now he couldn't figure it out. For some strange reason as he watched Bulma fixing his sandwiches and telling her story, he felt that she shouldn't need to fight. For some reason he felt the desire to protect her; that she deserved to be protected.

"Cough, cough cough." He choked on his sandwich, and turned to duck his head under the faucet for a drink. When he'd successfully cleared his throat he turned back to her, and growled at her as she tried to suppress a smile. He was well aware she was also biting her tongue, and was glad she had.

"Anyway, I trained for roughly five years, but never really felt the need to get into a real ring and fight. However, one of my sparring partners told me I should enter into one of the competitions to test myself. I was all gung ho for it, but fate had another plan for me. About two weeks before my first big fight I got mugged while walking home from the gym. It would have been ok had I seen him coming, but the guy caught me off guard and took a baseball bat to my head. He crushed the right side of my face, and I nearly had to have surgery. Thank Kami I have a hard head."

Vegeta snorted at her comment, and she shot him a warning glare before continuing her story.

"When I went down he stomped my leg, and broke it, and then cracked me again with the bat. I heard him leave, and thought it was over, but the minute I pulled myself up; I was staring down the barrel of a colt 45. All I remember after that is waking up in the hospital. Doctors said they had to put a metal rod in my right leg, and that I had been shot in my knee. The tendon was severed, and my knee cap had been shattered. They were able to reattach the tendon, and with physical therapy I'm pretty much back to normal. They said I could do everything I used to, but it will never be the same. I can't run as fast or as far, and I'm slowly losing sight in my right eye. I never told any of the guys what happened. The mugger was taken care of by the local authorities, and the guys all think I got hurt in the MMA tournament. I didn't have the balls to tell them the real story." Bulma said as she finished the last sandwich, and held it out to him after seeing he'd already consumed all the others from the plate.

"Its funny. All the training I did, and I was taken down by a guy with a gun. You don't need to say it, Vegeta, I already know that I'm just a weak human female. If one of the guys had been in my situation, it would have ended differently. I stopped training after that, but I still run. Its my way of working off stress and staying in shape." Bulma sighed as she turned to lean against the counter; watching him carefully. He was staring off into space, and looked somewhat irritated. She guessed she knew why.

To say he was angry would be an understatement, but his face betrayed nothing of his rage. Why he was angry he wasn't sure, but the fact that anyone would cause the female harm for no reason bothered him. He gently pushed her hand away, and turned toward the stairs. He needed to put some distance between them. His Saiyan instincts were beginning to trouble him. He wasn't sure if he could trust them not to get him into serious trouble with the little female.

Bulma was stunned by his action, and watched as Vegeta turned to go. Had she said something to upset him? Did he think her incredibly weak, and not want to be around her? She had no idea what had set him off, but she could tell he was angry. His tail gave him away as it lashed around furiously behind him.

"Look, I'm sorry. I'll stop talking. Here, eat the sandwich, I'll leave." She offered as she held the sandwich out to his retreating form.

Vegeta stopped half way across the kitchen, and turned. He stalked back over to her, and growled softly as he stared at her. Bulma gulped and stood motionless as she searched his brown eyes for any sign of what he was thinking. When she came up blank she held the sandwich up higher; trying to distract him from whatever he was thinking. It usually worked with Goku.

When his gaze didn't waver Bulma knew that her plan had backfired.

Vegeta sniffed before taking a huge bite out of the sandwich in her hand. She nearly dropped the rest of the food in fear that he was going to bite her hand off, but somehow she remained rooted to her spot. She watched intently as he gently ate around her fingers, and she obliged him by feeding him the last tid bit as he straightened, and couldn't help the butterflies that swarmed her stomach as her fingers brushed against his mouth. She didn't miss the look of surprise that glinted in his eyes before he caught himself. Apparently he hadn't expected that of her.

Bulma was mesmerized as she watched Vegeta's tongue dart across to lick his massive canines. She couldn't help the shiver of fear that ran down her spine. To think, he'd used those teeth against her own kind. She suddenly felt like prey, and was glad that she'd been thoughtful enough to feed his raging appetite.

Vegeta could smell the subtle change in her scent, and frowned as he looked down his nose at her.

"Don't worry yourself female. Why I do what I do is nothing to be concerned about. Know that I will not cause nor allow another to cause you harm, and take rest in that fact." Vegeta said as he turned his back, and regally walked back toward the stairs toward his room; leaving a shocked and very confused Bulma in his wake.

She was brought back to reality by the cold sensation of water dripping down her leg, and she cursed as she unwrapped the melting ice from her knee to throw in the garbage. It was late, and she suddenly felt the effects of her run slowly starting to seep into her exhausted muscles.

'Maybe pulling an all nighter isn't such a good idea after all' She thought to herself as she stifled a yawn against her hand, and felt the pull in her muscles as she stretched her arms over her head.

She figured she could catch at least four hours of sleep, and make up the rest with coffee in the morning. She slowly and carefully stretched her knee before walking to her bedroom. Her feet padded softly against the floors, and she couldn't help but steal a glance at Vegeta's closed door as she passed by; curious if he was asleep. She wouldn't dare enter his room unless forced to, but Bulma's curiosity nearly drove her mad. Despite the nagging fear that gnawed on the back of her mind; she couldn't help but feel a sudden interest in her mysterious houseguest. Sometimes he seemed almost human, and at others she could see the animal in him. The unpredictability drew her in, and that scared her to death.

Clack, Clack, Clack.

Bulma was roused from her musings by the feel of a cold wet nose on her palm. She looked down into a pair of slanted blue eye, and smiled.

"Where have you been all day, huh? I haven't seen you around much since we got home." Bulma said as she stroked his head, and gave him a few good pats to the side as he leaned against her legs.

Bulma laughed when Kane nearly knocked her over, and shoved him off before shooing him down to his bed in the kitchen. Once the large puppy had taken to the stairs Bulma walked to her room, and shut the door behind her.

Little did she know, someone else's curiosity had gotten the better of them, and said someone had just landed on her balcony. He couldn't sleep, and had decided to see how the woman felt when he invaded her personal space. It was time for her to understand that sometimes its best to just leave him well enough alone.

Bulma made her way into her bathroom, and grabbed her toothbrush, and toothpaste. She didn't much care for the brand her mother had bought her, but she could deal with the taste.

Thunk!

Bulma spun around toward her open bathroom door at the sound, and stopped brushing. She let the toothbrush hang from her mouth as she poked her head out to see what or who had caused the loud noise. What she saw shocked and irritated her at the same time.

Vegeta landed on her balcony, and tried the large French doors. After finding them locked, he wrinkled his nose in irritation as he popped the lock off with a flick of his fingers. He couldn't help but wonder what the woman was up to. He couldn't sleep, and after lying in his bed for close to fifteen minutes had given up. He figured if the woman was forcing him to skip out on his training he could force her to skip out on some sleep. He smirked as he entered her room, and heard her gasp. He raised his nose, and inhaled deep. Her fear permeated the air, but it was a different kind of fear; the fear of the unknown. He decided to entertain himself a little. He faded into the shadows, and waited patiently.

Bulma knew that Vegeta had been on her balcony, and she knew he'd broken her latch. She was more irritated that he was playing games with her than she was at the broken lock that now lay in her palm.

"GRRRR, Vegeta!" She growled as she threw the piece down, and shut her doors. He was damn lucky that she was as rich as she was or she'd make him work to pay for the things he broke. However, she was unaware that said culprit was in her room; watching her every move. She deftly flicked some of her discarded clothing to one corner of her room, and headed back toward her bathroom to finish brushing her teeth.

The minute Bulma passed by him Vegeta slid from the shadows, and tapped her on the shoulder. He was expecting her to scream and try to run, what he got, was a whole different reaction. The minute Bulma registered someone behind her she brought her elbow back into the offender's stomach; toothbrush flying out of her mouth in the process. She then turned and shot a hard elbow into their face while shifting her position to sweep the intruders legs out from under them. Somehow, after getting two good hits in, Bulma found herself pinned to the ground.

Vegeta was surprised that the little woman had caught him off guard with her first two shots, but he wasn't about to be fallen by one so weak. He gently grabbed her leg, and flung her over onto her back. He straddled her waist, and grabbed her fists before they struck his face; pinning them above her head. His tail lashed around in absolute glee as he stared down at her flushed face, and rage filled eyes. He'd not expected her to put up a fight, and the look in her eyes lit a fire in his gut.

Bulma growled in anger when she realized who her attacker was. She bucked her hips and thrashed her limbs trying to free herself, but as her energy began to give way to fatigue she realized that she wasn't getting up till he let her up. Damn Saiyan weighed a ton, and was strong as an ox.

"Let me up Vegeta, NOW!" Bulma yelled as she gnashed her teeth at him in anger. She hated being pinned, and he was making her madder by the second. When Vegeta made no move to free her, Bulma let out a low growl before attempting to bite his face; she fell short as he reared his head back out of her reach. She slammed her head against the hard wood in anger as she glared up at him. He just didn't get it.

Vegeta's eyes light up with excitement and his tail wagged behind him. He lowered his head, and raised his body up so he was on his hands and knees; still keeping her arms and legs pinned.

"What will you do if I don't?" He challenged as he felt a slight tremble of anticipation run from his head to the tip of his tail. He was running on auto pilot, and Bulma's feisty antics had triggered his instinctual side. She was acting exactly like a female Saiyan, and he was powerless as he reacted accordingly. He was after all, just a male Saiyan, an unmated male Saiyan at that. He had been a child when his planet had been destroyed, and had been denied the chance to interact with a female other than his mother. He had no idea what was acceptable, and what was going too far. He had no idea how to court a female or flirt with one for that matter. Unfortunately for Vegeta; his Saiyan instincts were telling him the wrong things. Bulma was no Saiyan female, and she was completely unnerved by Vegeta's current actions.

Bulma roared in fury as she freed her bad knee, and raised it upward. Her efforts produced no fruit as Vegeta countered her move by blocking with his leg. She wriggled an arm free and went for his face, but he swatted it away and pinned it back down.

After a few minutes of this one sided battle Bulma was completely exhausted and gasping for air while Vegeta smirked down at her from his position above.

"I hate you, you know that right?" Bulma grumbled as she banged her head against the floor once again in irritation; too tired to try and escape. She figured Vegeta would tire of holding her down at some point.

"Do you hate me, or the fact that it is I who has you pinned?" Vegeta said as his smirk broadened. "Say please, and I'll let you up" He purred as his tail snuck around to wave in front of her face teasingly.

Bulma puffed at it, and made to bite it. His smirk faded slightly, and he pulled his tail back from her face. He figured she wouldn't, but he wasn't placing any money on it. He studied her intently as she lay beneath him completely spent of all energy.

'She truly is a weakling.' He thought as his excitement from earlier faded away. Some part of him had forgotten she was human, and had responded to her violent reaction as play. He knew from observing his parents that Saiyan males and females often engaged in little scuffles to see who was could come out on top, and he'd actually thought that the tiny woman below him would be able to give him a good romp. Unfortunately he was mistaken, and suddenly he realized something that disturbed him greatly. How could he have forgotten something so painfully obvious?

'She's not a Saiyan.' His smirk faded, and he frowned down at her. The disappointment of his brief moment of forgetfulness slowly wore on him, and he wrinkled his nose in frustration. The little female acted so much like one of his own that he'd momentarily forgotten she wasn't a Saiyan. He'd also opened another door that he hadn't meant to. It was a good thing her knowledge of Saiyans and their customs was as limited as it was. He wasn't sure he could deal with her knowing that his previous behaviors would be considered flirting in his culture. Sharing food, play fighting, tending to another's wounds. He shook his head furiously as he tried to clear his head.

"Vegeta, come on, really, I'm tired, and I don't want to play anymore. Let me up." Bulma whined as she pleaded with the seemingly unmovable man that had her pinned. She was completely unaware of the internal battle raging in his head as she tried to free herself from his grip. She really hoped he didn't expect her to say please to him. She would never say please to him until he showed her a little more respect.

Her voice startled him out of his thoughts, and he immediately released his hold on her, and rose to his feet; taking her with him. She nearly flew past him from the force of his tug, but was grateful for his broad forearm that caught her before she ate the wall.

Bulma shot him a quizzical look before giving his arm a gentle tap. She smiled softly as she took in his flushed cheeks, and his wagging tail. Despite his deep scowl, and his furrowed brow she was surprised at herself; she wasn't afraid of him. It hit her suddenly that Vegeta had been merely playing with her, and he was just now realizing it himself. Her eyes drifted down to his tail that was lazily lashing about around his legs. She let out a soft sigh at the sight. She was right; he'd been playing with her. The knowledge softening her resolve to be angry with him. She briefly remembered Goku trying to play with her when he was a teenager, and her response wasn't as friendly as she'd been with Vegeta. Goku had been extremely rough with his version of playing, and she'd been very concerned that he was going to hurt her severly. Somehow she knew that there was some significance to their behavior, but she had no idea what it was. All she knew was that she needed to keep on guard. She didn't want Vegeta getting the idea that he could man handle her whenever he felt like it.

She watched as Vegeta lowered his arm and crossed his arms over his broad chest. She rolled her eyes, and retrieved her toothbrush that had flown from her hand in the scuffle. She took one look at it and decided to pitch it. She could grab another from the stockroom later. She still had to brush her hair before bed, and put it up. She hated sleeping with it down because it usually just tangled around her; as she tended to toss and turn in her sleep. She turned to look over her shoulder at Vegeta, and was surprised that he hadn't moved from his spot by her bed. She shook her head, and reentered her bathroom. She tossed her toothbrush in the trash, and retrieved her hair brush from a little wicker basket on the back of her toilet.

Creak.

Bulma swiped her brush through her hair as she looked at the man who was now leaning against her doorframe in her mirror. She decided to ignore him as she prepared for bed, but his presence was starting to grate on her nerves. Why was he here, and more importantly, why wasn't he saying anything? She suddenly found her train of thought wander as she fell into her nightly routine.

For some reason there was a difference that she'd been able to sense in Goku's playing and Vegeta's playing. Goku was extremely rough and she'd been afraid he was going to hurt her because he wasn't used to his newly found strength as a prepubescent teen. Vegeta, on the other hand, seemed sure of himself, and was surprisingly gentle with her despite his incredible strength. The difference was marked. Vegeta was older, and much more aware of himself. He was a Saiyan, and he had always been a Saiyan. His words from their previous discussion had finally made sense to her. In some backhanded way Vegeta was trying to make a point. At the time it had seemed like Vegeta was merely stroking his own ego, but now she understood that he was defending himself, and his actions. Vegeta was all Saiyan. He hadn't been tainted by another race and its customs. He knew what and who he was, and he was confident in that. Goku, was raised as a human, and he didn't know which part of himself to trust. Had Vegeta been able to pick up on Goku's inner conflict? Was that what caused him to hate the younger Saiyan so much? She knew that some animals on Earth could pick up on another's insecurities, and would attack or drive that animal away. She wondered if it was the same for Saiyans.

"What are you doing?"

Bulma stilled her hand, and turned to look at Vegeta over her shoulder. She gave him a confused look, and when she saw his eyes drift to her hand hers followed suit.

"I'm brushing my hair, and putting it up for bed, why?" Bulma asked as she turned back to continue what she was doing.

Vegeta watched her quietly as she performed her nightly ritual. After a while he pushed off the door frame, and came up behind Bulma to examine all her things over her shoulder. The woman had a lot more items in her room, and he was interested to see what they were. He took one look at Bulma, and when he was sure she didn't seem to care he was in her space, continued his exploration of her bathroom. He took a finger, and moved the items in her wicker basket as he deftly examined each thing before moving on to the items on the edge of her bathtub.

Bulma smiled as she tried to pretend she wasn't watching what he was doing. She thought it was cute how he was examining her things. He was acting so much like Goku did when he was first introduced to the luxuries of city life. It was almost like Goku was paving the way for Vegeta's arrival. Helping her get used to the odd behavior associated with Saiyans. She knew she wouldn't be nearly as patient with Vegeta had she not had Goku around. She was somewhat grateful for the lessons she'd learned helping raise Goku.

A sudden brush of an ungloved hand through her hair caused her to jump, and she nearly fell over in the process. She'd taken her eye off Vegeta for a second, and he'd decided that she was much more intriguing than her things in that second.

'Well, of course.' Bulma thought as she gave Vegeta the stink eye, and swatted his hand with her brush. She should have known. He was like a cat circling its prey. He was pretending to be interested in her things while he maneuvered himself behind her so he could get to what he really wanted to examine.

Her hair.

Goku was enraptured by its color and texture when he was young. He liked to pull on it, and mess with it. He knew it pissed her off, and it was just one more thing that he did that solidified his position as little brother in her life. Now, it was apparently Vegeta's turn. However, she decided that she wasn't going to put up with his antics like she had Goku's in regard to her hair. She'd lost enough to Goku's harsh pulling, and Vegeta was much larger, and a lot stronger. She didn't much trust him with her pride and joy.

Thwak!

Vegeta withdrew his hand sharply as her brush made contact with the back of his hand. He didn't miss her nasty warning glare, and knew that she had set an invisible boundary. However, he wasn't in the mood to adhere to it. He wanted to feel her hair with his bare hands, and by Kami he was determined to do just that. She'd ignored his warnings about touching his tail so he felt a sense of entitlement to touching her hair.

He gave Bulma an accusatory glare, and reached for her hair once again.

Bulma sighed in exasperation, and pulled her hair over her shoulder away from his roving hand, staring him straight in the eyes.

"Seriously Vegeta, I really don't want my hair pulled or whatever you are trying to do. I don't let Goku pull my hair, and I'm definitely not going to let you touch it." Bulma said as she reached for her hair tie, and started putting it up.

Vegeta frowned at her lack of compliance, and after she'd secured her hair, reached up and yanked the tie out with a self satisfied smirk.

Bulma let out an angry growl/sigh, and turned. She saw his facial expression and frowned. She thwacked his shoulder with her hairbrush, and reached for her hair tie; coming up short as Vegeta pulled it out of her reach.

Vegeta yanked the hair tie above his head, and out of her reach. He shot her a challenging look, and dared her to take it. He was going to get his way no matter what.

Bulma didn't fall prey to his antics. She'd seen them one too many time. She simply gave him a scolding look, and held her hand out.

Vegeta frowned at her, but decided to give in and see where that got him.

Bulma was surprised when he gently dropped the hair tie in her hand, and groaned as she decided that allowing him to do what he wanted might just get her to sleep sooner than later. She was really getting tired, and couldn't wait to crawl between her sheets and drift off.

"Ok, fine, you big baby, here." She growled as she tossed her hair, and stared at him impatiently.

Vegeta gave her a wary look before gently taking hold of her waist length wavy tresses. He noted her stiff stance, and realized her paranoia about having it pulled. He'd given it a thought, but her reaction caused him to rethink himself. He gently ran his hands through her hair, and was amazed at its softness, and the ease with which he could run his fingers through it. It felt like silk, and he couldn't help but bring it to his nose for a good sniff.

Bulma stiffened further as Vegeta brought her hair to his nose and scented it, his eyes never leaving hers. She was starting to get a little nervous; not because she was afraid he'd pull her hair, but for another reason she couldn't place.

"Ok, there ya go. I think that's enough." Bulma said nervously as she pulled her hair from his hand. He continued to stare at her as it passed through his fingers, and she quickly put it up in her hair tie before retreating from her bathroom; flipping out the light on her way.

Vegeta followed her back into her bedroom, and Bulma spun around quickly with her finger pointing at him. She was now ready to be done with him. She'd humored him enough, and as she glanced at the glowing digital numbers that read 4:00 am on her clock, she growled, and angled her finger to point at it.

Vegeta's eyes followed her finger toward the bright glowing numbers. He frowned at her and raised an eyebrow.

"GET THE FUCK OUT, VEGET!!" Bulma screamed as she threw her hands up in defeat. "God, seriously. Ok, here's how things are going to work from now on. You, are not allowed in my room for any reason."

"I go wherever the hell I want." Vegeta growled as he frowned down at her. He wasn't liking her bravado nor the way she was trying to tell him what to do. Hadn't he already had this discussion with her earlier?

Bulma rolled her eyes. "You are impossible. Vegeta, I swear, one of these days you're going to get it." She said as she tossed her throw pillow at his head.

Vegeta dodged the pillow, and bared his teeth at her. He scented the air, and was infuriated that she wasn't afraid of him. He was beginning to think that having her not fear him was going to be more of a headache than he was willing to deal with. He watched as she turned off her light, and crawled under her covers. She then grabbed her body pillow and curled around it before pulling the covers over her head and mumbling a quick goodnight. He stood at the foot of her bed for a few seconds feeling extremely awkward for some reason. Her ability to ignore his presence was infuriating, and there wasn't really anything he could do about it. He frowned, and bent down; fisting her duck down comforter in his hands.

"Don't even think about it unless you want to go without food and a gravity room for a week." Bulma growled as her arm shot out from under the covers to latch onto her comforter.

Vegeta thought about her threat for a second before giving it a test tug. For some reason he was having too much fun annoying the little female, and if he couldn't bully her into submitting, maybe he could just wear her down slowly with his constant annoyance and presence.

"What is your deal? Is this some pitiful attempt to get my attention?" Bulma growled as she poked her head from under her covers.

"Once again woman, I am forced to remind you that your drugs have caused me insomnia. If I can't sleep; you won't either." Vegeta smirked as he tugged on her comforter again; slowly pulling them lower on her body.

Bulma couldn't help the warmth that flooded her body as she stared at the man standing at the foot of her bed. He was bent at the waist with her comforter in his hands, and he was staring at her with his devilishly sexy façade. For some strange reason the look he was giving her set her off. He probably had no idea that what he was doing would be considered flirting to a human female, but she guessed that was a good thing.

"Well shoot Vegeta. It's not like I did it on purpose. Give me a break. Why don't you try lying down? You never know, you may actually fall asleep." Bulma tried weakly as she wrinkled her nose.

Vegeta growled in irritation. This woman just didn't get it.

Bulma rolled her eyes, and threw off her covers at his irritation. She had had enough.

"OK, we are going to try things my way. You will sleep even if you think you can't because I need to sleep." Bulma said as she popped out of bed and grabbed his hand while simultaneously pulling him out of her room behind her.

Vegeta's shocked expression couldn't have been anything less than the icing on Bulma's proverbial cake. After all the B.S. he'd just put her through Bulma was determined to turn the tables, and cause him to squirm.

Vegeta allowed Bulma to drag him back toward his own room, and was completely bemused by the whole situation. She'd piqued his curiosity with her threat, and was interested to see what she had planned for him. He watched as she pointed to his bed, and told him to sit down. He begrudged obeyed, and watched as she left his room, and reappeared with something in her hand. His red flag began waving in his face, but for some unknown reason he decided to ignore it in lue of a little fun. His brows knit in confusion as she stood in front of him with the look only a woman could get when they are about to royally fuck with a man on her face. His tail wrapped around his waist protectively. He didn't know much about women, but somehow he instinctively knew to be afraid of "the look".

Bulma smirked at the reaction she was getting from Vegeta. He was completely thrown off by her, and she was going to see how far he would bend till he broke. Maybe she could teach him not to fuck with her after all; starting now.

"Ok, now, take of your clothes."

Author's Note: Ok, sorry about the delay. I just got back from my 2 yr. anniversary vacation to Virginia for the U2/Muse concert. Muse was amazing, and U2 put on a great show. We saw Monticello, and had an awesome time. I hope you enjoy this chapter and thank you to everyone for all your reviews. I'm cutting out the personal thank yous this time, but rest assured that you are appreciated.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Show and Tell

Author's Note: I know this story isn't moving along as quickly as some would like, but I would like to point out that it can take a little bit of time to develop a relationship with someone. In my story Bulma isn't a whore, and Vegeta isn't quite the sex starved maniac. Deal with it people. This is going to be a long fic, and I don't want to cram too much into a chapter they are already seven thousand words which is very long for me. I hope those of you who are enjoying this fic. That it is living up to your expectations. I really do appreciate all of your reviews, and I hope this chapter is what you all are looking for. Read and review.

Vegeta's eyes widened comically, and Bulma struggled not to laugh as she watched him sink away from her on his bed. She knew he was completely on guard by the way his muscles rippled, and tensed under his bandages. She couldn't help but admire his finely chiseled torso as she watched his momentary freak out in front of her. However, her smirk faded as his appeared. Apparently he was a little quicker on his toes than she'd originally given him credit for and a lot more vulgar at that.

"Well, if I had known you were that interested in whoring yourself out; I'd have made sure to lock my door. However, I would much rather have you on your knees for that." Vegeta said in a very suggestive tone as he made a lewd gesture towards her.

Bulma's cheeks flushed a deep shade of crimson as she fought to keep her anger in check, but to no avail.

"That's not what I meant you disgusting pig, and you know it. As if I'd do anything like that with an ugly brute like you. You'd probably have me for a midnight snack afterwards. Now quit being a pussy, and lay down already. I'm tired, and the faster I knock your ass out, the faster I get to pass out myself." Bulma raged as she restrained herself from lobbing the object in her hand at his head.

"Not so fast woman. First I want to know what the hell that pungent smelling flask in your hand is for." Vegeta growled as he wrinkled his nose and bared his fangs at the offensive odor. His sensitive nose was being accosted, and he wasn't sure she wasn't being serious about simply knocking him out. He eyed her warily as she took two steps closer to his side. He wouldn't hesitate to kill her if she even attempted to drug him again.

"Oh, I never thought about that. I guess you do have a really sensitive nose. Um, maybe using the massage oils isn't such a good idea. We humans use it because the smells relax us, but I think it will be more of a nuisance to you than anything." Bulma mused as she set the flask on the nightstand and proceeded to crawl onto the bed behind Vegeta.

His reaction was almost instant, and Bulma couldn't help but feel somewhat frustrated and even a little offended as she watched him tense immediately, and crane his neck around to glare at her distrustfully out of the corner of his eye; arm wound like a spring ready to strike at her.

Bulma knew he really wanted to get off the bed, and put some distance between them, but figured his pride wouldn't let him retreat in any way. She sighed, and gave him an admonishing look. Why did he always feel the need to fight, and what was it he had against her anyway?

"How do you expect me to give you a massage if you won't lie down?" Bulma stated more than asked as she reached for his shoulders, and attempted to pull him backward on the bed.

"I never once said that I was going to comply with your wishes you silly female, and no matter how much you think I need a massage or whatever it is, I'm not in the mood for your silly little games." Vegeta growled, his hackles rising from the base of his neck, and his tail puffing out in agitation at her close physical contact. He really did want to smack her, but refrained. He had made a promise, and he'd intended to keep it; no matter how hard it proved to be.

Despite his arguing, Bulma wasn't deterred. If he wouldn't lie down willingly then she'd have to switch her tactics.

Vegeta's eyes nearly rolled to the back of his head when he felt her little hands on his shoulders begin to knead his corded muscles. He'd never felt anything like what the woman was doing to him, and briefly wondered if it was some kind of strange human ability. He craned his neck to glance at the woman, and was surprised to see that she was too deep into concentrating on what she was doing to notice his observations. He turned his head back around, and lolled it to the side as she guided it to give her better access to the muscles on one side of his neck, followed by the other.

'Why is this woman so determined to pester me?' Vegeta thought as he felt his left arm go limp after the knot in his bicep smoothed out. He was feeling more and more awkward as the time passed, and her tiny hands made their way across his heated flesh. He was accustomed to pain, and others constantly trying to inflict it upon him, but never in his entire life had someone tried to make him feel pleasure. Unfortunately for him, the only person who seemed capable of that was the woman sitting directly behind him working on the muscles just below his shoulder blades. He jerked slightly, and growled at the giggle he heard from behind.

"I didn't realize you were ticklish, Vegeta." Bulma giggled as she continued her work.

"Yes, well, let me make it clear that if you attempt that again you will lose that appendage." He grumbled as he kept track of her hands each time they slid too close to his sides.

He could feel her little puffs of exertion on his bare skin, and the goose bumps that immediately followed. He shivered from the contact, and once again turned to glance at her from over his shoulder with half lidded eyes. At this point he realized that she wasn't just lulling him to sleep, she was arousing him.

'Son of a bitch!' He thought as his eyes snapped open, and he quickly cast his gaze into his ever hardening lap. He groaned in shier annoyance. How he allowed himself to be caught in these kinds of situations with the woman he would never know. He closed his eyes, and scowled. He could not only feel her hot breath, and gentle hands against his flesh, but he could feel the gentle pressure of her thighs against his as she used his lower torso to anchor herself for more leverage against his back. What the little woman was unaware of was that her close proximity was placing a lot of friction, and pressure on his tail that was securely wrapped around his waist.

'Kami damn it.' He frowned and rolled his eyes as he cast the woman a third glance, and confirmed his earlier suspicions. She had absolutely no idea what the hell she was doing to him. Apparently this woman wasn't as experienced as he'd assumed. She was simply naive.

He couldn't exactly say he blamed her for that; she was constantly surrounded by men who treated her as one of their own aside from the scarred weakling she'd finally gained the nerve to rid herself of. She probably figured they didn't find her at all appealing in that way, but he knew better. He could smell it coming off those other males in waves, and he'd even caught a fait whiff of it from Kakkarot a few times. For some reason he'd been severely enraged by that fact, and had barely restrained himself from striking the younger Saiyan down. Kakkarot already had a mate; why he would show any kind of desire for another woman was beyond him. He just assumed that it was the way Kakkarot had been raised as a human. He'd taken notice of the humans on the planet, and come to realize that most of them were not completely monogamous. It disgusted him. However, the female sitting behind him had shown no signs of attraction to other males while she was with the scarred earthling; even when it was obvious they were enraptured with her. Perhaps not all humans were incapable of being loyal. He couldn't help the twinge that shot through his guts at the thought, and immediately tried to shove his mind off the path it was taking. The last thing he needed was a distraction, and he was sure to have issues if the female noticed the state he was in. He silently thanked Kami she was so single minded in her work, and took the opportunity to try and rid himself of his current predicament by thinking of the nastiest things he could come up with.

'Kakkarot eating, Frieza naked, Zarbon and Dodoria making out.'

'AW Bloody Hell! For the love of… aw shit.' Vegeta thought of everything he could to lower his pride. However, not even the most grotesque thought could stop the pressure building in his loins. After a few seconds contemplation; he conceded. Vegeta deftly flicked his hardening flesh, and grimaced at the slight pain that followed, but was glad that his uncomfortable erection was finally gone. Why he'd allowed the female to take such liberties with him was still a mystery, and he was growing more and more agitated by the minute.

'So why the fuck am I still sitting here?' He thought absently as he felt himself being gently pulled back to lie on his back. He was just grateful that she was no longer rubbing against his tail.

Bulma, on the other hand, was completely absorbed in her ministrations and was completely unaware of the internal battle warring in the head and body of the man positioned between her folded knees. She could feel him beginning to tense back up, and was certain that his patience was starting to wane. She gave him another gently tug, and was rewarded for her efforts as he allowed her to guide him down to the mattress. She smiled as she tried to pull him onto the bed completely, and was extremely grateful when he shuffled himself backward till his head was only inches from the headboard. She noticed that his eyes were closed, and she leaned in toward his face, and just stared at him. Her smile broadened when Vegeta cracked his eyes open to look at her. His eyes darkened, and she could tell she was really pissing him off.

"What is it now female?" He said in a very husky tone. He was still fighting off his earlier reaction to her touch, and was slowly succumbing to sleep from the effort of trying to keep himself in check.

Bulma's stomach did a little flip when his deep voice reached her ears. She picked up on the subtle change in his tone, but was unsure of whether it was because he was relaxed or tired. She blushed as she looked down at him. Something was definitely different about his demeanor, and she wasn't sure it was a good thing. He seemed to be at ease, but she could see the muscles rippling under his bandages, and knew that something was turning in his head.

"So, feel better?" Bulma said, trying to sound as sure of herself as possible, but failing miserably. Something about the look in his eyes caused Bulma's flight instinct to kick in, but she stayed rooted to her spot. She saw a flicker of emotion pass across his dark brown eyes, but was unable to decipher it.

"You wanted me to sleep so you gave me that massage. Now that I'm drifting off, you feel the need to keep me awake. What is wrong with you woman, are you trying to make me hurt you?" Vegeta growled in only slight annoyance as he slowly blinked his tired eyes and continued to watch the way her hair fell around her shoulders. He gently reached up, and took a small portion of her tresses in his hand, and played with it absently.

Bulma's cheeks were now fire engine red. She was aware of Vegeta's good looks. Her mother wasn't the only one, who enjoyed watching him leave a room, but for some reason the way he was lazily sprawled on his bed, and playing with her hair caused something inside her to cower in fear. It was like the calm before the storm, and she felt like she was in the eye.

Sniff, Sniff

Bulma tensed when Vegeta scented the air then frowned at her while simultaneously releasing her hair from his hold. She figured he'd caught wind of her scent, and felt uncharacteristically insecure about herself. She shyly looked down at the bed spread, and pretended to find it rather interesting.

"Look at me woman." Vegeta ordered harshly.

Bulma's eyes immediately shot up to meet his, and she stared at him in barely suppressed fear as she watched him rise from his lying position, and sit merely inches from her; his nose almost touching hers. She gulped audibly and tried to lean away from him, but he just kept coming closer.

"I think your right Vegeta. I should let you get to bed. I'm really tired now too so I'm going to go now." Bulma said as she quickly slipped off the side of the bed, and made to bolt for the door. However, she was cut short only two steps from the bed when she was unceremoniously yanked back by her wrist. She let out a surprised little yelp, and looked to see that Vegeta had wrapped his tail around her wrist, and had pulled her back toward his bed.

Her blood ran cold, and her face drained of color. The thoughts that raced through her head caused her to shake in fright. She didn't think Vegeta would stoop so low, but considering the fact that he hadn't even thought twice about having humans as a snack; she wasn't about to completely rule the possibility out.

"Vegeta, let go." She said in a shaky voice as she attempted to yank her wrist free of his tails death grip while making sure she didn't damage the sensitive appendage in the process.

"What is wrong with you now woman? Did I not say that I wouldn't harm you? Does the word of a Saiyan mean so little to you humans?" He rumbled softly as he attempted to quell her fears. He didn't even know why he was trying to calm the trembling female, but something drew her near to him. He'd shared with her when all he'd ever done his whole life was take, he'd humored her when all he'd ever thought about was what benefitted him, he allowed himself to lower his guard around her when he'd learned to never allow anyone to get close, he actually didn't mind her company when his whole life he'd just wanted to be left alone, and what made it worse was that he had promised to protect her, and she'd shoved that back in his face. How this female had pulled so much out of him in the past few months he would never know, but somehow she'd endeared herself to him while at the same time driving him to the mental/emotional breaking point. He eyed her softly as he gave her wrist another gentle tug; urging her to come closer to him. He was going to test the waters. The little female must have been hiding something from him if she was still afraid to be near him. There couldn't be any other explanation that he could think of.

Bulma regarded Vegeta with the same look a deer would give a wolf. She didn't trust his motives, but something in the softness of his eyes, and the gentle way he was trying to coerce her to come back made her feel compelled to comply. Heaven help her if she was wrong about Vegeta.

He released a breath he hadn't even known he'd been holding as he watched the little female slowly, and carefully slide back onto the edge of his bed. He could tell she was still frightened, but was unable to place the reason. He narrowed his eyes in confusion as he drew nearer to her. She tensed, but he ignored it as he leant in, and scented her neck. He wanted to know what she was truly afraid of, and by going to the strongest pulse point he was certain he'd figure it out.

The minute his nose touched her cold skin Bulma's heart stopped in her chest and she found it hard to breathe. Her body tensed, and her eyes glazed over in complete terror. She knew in her rational mind that he was simply scenting her, but with her current mindset all she could come up with was that he wanted to tear her throat out like a wild beast. She was petrified by fear, and completely at the mercy of the alien man beside her.

Vegeta was sitting on his knees, his tail waving gently behind him, and his arms holding him up as he leaned across to scent the woman cowering at the edge of his bed. He inhaled her scent, and felt the shiver run through her body. However, the minute he registered an increase in her scent he reared back as if burnt. He stared at Bulma for a few seconds as his own insecurities played against his psyche. She was not only afraid of him, no, she was absolutely terrified. He couldn't help the feeling of rejection that shot through his body, and his tail fell limp behind him against the comforter. He eyed her hesitantly, and slowly inched back; giving her the room she so desperately needed, and taking away the reassurance he so desperately needed. The woman's earlier behavior in her room had led him to believe that she had accepted him as part of her pack and not some blood thirsty killer that needed to be kept track of, and he'd been elated on a subconscious level, even if he'd not wanted to be.

Despite his abrasive and prickly attitude towards others he often stuck around in the shadows because as a Saiyan he needed the reassurance, and security of a pack. When he'd been in Frieza's army even Frieza knew that Saiyans were gregarious by nature, and required extensive socialization to stay balanced mentally. That was why Frieza had allowed Napppa and Raditz to live, not because they were excellent fighters, but because he knew that Saiyans needed to be part of a pack. When he'd been wished back, he'd been absolutely lost without his comrades. Sure he'd killed Nappa, but back then he was foolish enough to think he was above his own nature. A Saiyan without its pack mates was like a child without its parents. They needed the security and reassurance, and if a Saiyan didn't receive those things they usually wound up dying a slow and lonely death by way of depression. Exile had been an order worse than death on his home planet, and many Saiyans pleaded with his father for execution. Despite his desire to be alone, Vegeta couldn't deny his need for companionship, and he'd thought he'd found it in the tiny shaking female before him. However, as he watched her eyes dart between him and his door, he knew that she wanted nothing more than to leave his presence. She was just like the rest of those pathetic weaklings he'd come in contact with, and he wrinkled his nose in derision as he dismissed her. If she didn't want anything to do with him; he didn't want anything to do with her either. It was that simple.

"Go ahead and leave little one. I'll not keep you if you truly fear me that much. The stench of your fear is giving me a headache." Vegeta growled as he rose from the bed, and stalked toward his balcony doors to stare at the city's skyscape in bitterness. Sure he knew he was acting childish, but he really didn't care. He'd been wounded, and like all animals did, was going to stalk off and lick his wounds in private.

Bulma took in his appearance as she slowly rose from her position on his bed. She noticed the slight slope in his shoulders, and the limpness of his tail, and for the first time since he'd come to stay with her, she finally was able to figure out what he'd been so desperately trying to convey to her. He didn't want her to fear him. He wasn't going to harm her. In his weird Saiyan way, he'd been trying to befriend her. She frowned as the guilt washed over her features, and she couldn't help but feel bad for the way she'd been treating him.

He was standing with his arms crossed over his chest, and she could finally see that it wasn't out of habit or comfort, but out of severe insecurity, he always kept a wall to his back because he was afraid someone was going to try and cause him harm, he always waited for someone else to take the first bite when at dinner because he was afraid to be poisoned. It all finally made sense to her.

'Oh, Kami. Why didn't I see it before?' Bulma thought as her eyes began to well up with unshed tears. Vegeta wasn't human, he was a Saiyan. He didn't understand anything about humans, but he still wanted, no, needed to be accepted by someone. Despite all the horrendous things he'd done in his past, Vegeta was still a man with thoughts, feelings, and emotions. He still desired companionship. That was why he'd sought her out in her room. He'd wanted company, and despite his gentleness with her, she'd taken it the wrong way. Just like now, she'd misunderstood his intentions entirely. She sighed, and wiped her eyes dry with the back of her hand before he could smell the saltiness on her face.

"Vegeta, listen. I think you and I have gotten off on the wrong foot. I think there are a lot of cultural barriers that we're struggling to get past, and I think there have been more than a few misunderstandings between us. I know it's hard for you to understand how we do things here on earth, but we're not as strong as you are, and well, that scares us. You're capable of harming us without even realizing it, and some things that you may think are ok, could really hurt a human. That's why we react negatively. It's just how we are. It also didn't help boost our confidence when you can barge into the kitchen covered in human blood. It's like a fox living with rabbits. There is always some sort of tension." Bulma tried to reason as she stepped up behind Vegeta and tried to get him to look at her.

Vegeta bristled at her words. How dare she talk down to him? He was the prince of all Saiyans, not some lost child that needs coddling. Despite everything she thought he was well aware of her reasons behind her hospitality, and he had accepted that fact at first. Now, after living with the woman and her family for so long, he was beginning to desire something more than what had originally been handed to him, and he was getting fed up with trying to be something he wasn't when there beside him stood the biggest hypocrite of them all.

"Think what you want female, but I assure you, if I wanted to harm someone I'd do it, and with no consequence to you. You needn't worry about what doesn't concern you. You are nothing to me, and your silly opinions mean even less. That's probably why your former mate couldn't stand you. He probably got tired of your uselessness, and your constant verbal defecation. I suggest you go bother someone who actually gives a shit because my patience with you is waning." Vegeta roared as he rounded on Bulma with force, sending his chair sailing across the room to crash into the wall; leaving a huge hole.

He felt her fear roll off her in waves as he advanced on her, but was surprised when instead of yelling at him, running off, or hitting him, her eyes welled up with tears, and she covered her face with the back of her left hand and curled her other around her torso, and cried. He stood rooted to his place, his chest heaving in slowly dissipating anger as he watched the tiny female's body quake from the sobs that came forth. His eyes slowly softened, and he felt the unfamiliar sickness in his stomach as he watched the tears roll down her cheeks as she tried her best to hide herself from him. He'd never seen the female cry; not even after his blood bath. She'd taken him in like he'd just rolled in a mud puddle; not the blood of a human. Something twisted in him, and he fought it desperately. He raised his hand to strike at her, but faltered.

"Please, don't" She choked out between sobs as she shrunk away from him, and Vegeta's resolve to end the female's existence faded completely.

'Heaven help me because Kami knows I can't help myself.' Vegeta thought as he slowly took a step toward the shaking female and wrapped his arms around her in a gently embrace. His right hand came up to stroke her long tresses, and he gently rested his jaw on the top of her head. He said nothing as he felt her burrow into his chest, and her tears soaked through his bandages.

A low rumbling sound against her ear drew Bulma's attention, and she looked up at Vegeta through her blurry tear filled eyes. She felt the vibrations through his chest and sniffled as she realized that he was growling, but it wasn't the normal I'm pissed growl. It was soft and low and the pitches varied as he nestled the top of her head with his jaw.

'Is this the Saiyan version of a purr?' Bulma thought as she tried to compose herself. Vegeta's tail had wrapped itself around Bulma's waist, and she could feel the tip rubbing against her lower back comfortingly. She sniffled a few more times, and nestled further into his offered warmth, and heaved a sigh as she allowed him to comfort her.

Vegeta raised his head slightly, and craned his neck so he could see Bulma's face. She looked at him from under her hair, and he wanted to curse the gods for blessing her with such eyes. How could anyone deny her when she looked at them the way she was looking at him? He absently reached up with his tail and brushed her fringe from her eyes so he could get a better view. He shot her a soft smirk as he noticed the faint blush that graced her already colored cheeks, and couldn't help when it deepened as he watched her shyly turn her head against his chest to shield herself from his view.

He craned his head in the opposite direction, and snuffed against her hair as if to say, I have you, when he captured her gaze once more, and his heart nearly stopped when she let out a faint breath that sounded like a laugh, and daintily looked back at him.

'Why you little tease.' Vegeta thought as he caught on. This was definitely the human's way of flirting.

His tail lashed around behind him, and trembled with excitement and anticipation as he wrapped his arms tighter around her small frame, and nuzzled against her hair once more trying to encourage more of her affections. He'd never been around a female that had been able to attract his attention, and now that he was; he didn't know what to do with himself.

Bulma didn't know what to do. One minute Vegeta was throwing things in an emotional display of hurt causing her to simply cut loose and cry because she was scared, and now he was cuddling her as if they were more than mere acquaintances. The worst part about it was that she was reciprocating. She was even flirting with him. She hadn't realized she was doing it until she saw the excitement flash in his eyes, and felt his grip on her tighten. Things were getting out of hand, and she needed to find a way out.

'What am I going to do? I can't lead him on, but I'm not sure I want him to stop.' Bulma thought sadly as she noticed the way his tail lashed about. He was actually letting out some of his pent up emotions, and she was afraid that if she tried to direct them away from her; he would bottle them up again, and possibly hate her for the perceived rejection of his affection. She sighed, thing were never going to be simple for her were they?

Vegeta's tail stopped wagging, and his excitement faded at the sound of Bulma's dejected sigh, and his concern for her made itself known, had he hurt her? He pulled her away from his chest gently and stared at her.

"Did I hurt you?" He asked in a voice that was barely above a whisper, and judging by the look on his face, Bulma could tell that he hadn't really wanted to voice his concerns. She smiled softly at him so as not to cause another outburst from the already unpredictable man.

"No, I'm fine. I'm just tired that's all." Bulma said as she turned her head toward the light that was slowly creeping over the horizon. She knew that there would be no sleeping for her, and was desperate to relieve the tension that she felt hanging thick in the air between her and Vegeta. Despite his gentleness she couldn't forget what he was capable of. She had to keep her head on straight.

"Looks like it's almost dawn. Mom and dad will be up soon to make breakfast. Why don't we head down to the kitchen so I can make some coffee?" Bulma suggested as she tried not to feel too awkward about things, but the way Vegeta was looking at her caused a shiver to run down her spine. The thing that scared her the most was that he seemed completely unaware he was even staring at her the way he was. The intensity of his gaze made her feel giddy, but it also caused fear to thread around her spine. She briefly wondered if she would ever be able to rid herself of her fear of Vegeta completely.

He couldn't help himself as he watched the woman intently. For some reason she had been able to capture his attention like no other, and he was loathed to find himself wanting to oblige her. However, as the last shred of night gave way to the blistering sun, Vegeta's kind demeanor, and patience gave way to his pride.

Bulma watched as the gentle look faded from his eyes, and was replaced by his impassive stare. A shiver ran down her spine, and she couldn't help but feel that she much preferred this other side of Vegeta despite her apprehension about it. The way he was glaring at her now, caused her to doubt that what had just transpired between them had happened at all.

She watched as his back straightened, and his once relaxed muscles tensed to make him look ten times more intimidating, and rigid than he had before while he'd been holding her. She absently ran her fingers through her hair, and suddenly felt very insecure once again. How he was able to cause such a reaction in her was baffling, but she was powerless to change that.

'I've been acting like a pup in heat. This is ridiculous, she's a weak, pathetic human, and I'm the prince of all Saiyans. I'll not stoop to Kakkarot's level and allow myself to entertain the thoughts of taking an alien mate. The royal line will die with me, not with some half breed brat spawned from the inability to control ones hormones. I must maintain control at all times. This will never happen again. I'm here to fight those tin cans, and defeat Kakkarot. There is nothing else I need.' Vegeta growled to himself as he glared at Bulma. He could tell she was once again frightening him, but he hardened his resolve to not care. He'd given in to weakness before, and had allowed himself to become attached to the tiny woman standing before him, awaiting his response. Despite his need for companionship he wasn't about to latch onto this woman simply because she was convenient. He deserved better than convenience, and he was going to make sure he got nothing less.

"No. You will fix the gravity room so I can get back to training. I've wasted enough time humoring you, and I'll not be detained any longer." He growled in agitation.

Bulma was prepared for this, and countered. She could tell Vegeta had a long way to go in his new self discovery, but she hadn't expected him to become such a Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde. She would play along, and pray to Kami it made things easier.

"Ok, fine, you win, but first I want to change your bandages, and make sure your ribs have started to heal. I'm not going to keep taping them if you won't even give them time to set properly." Bulma grumbled as she flippantly fingered his bandages, and started removing them.

She was surprised when Vegeta didn't flinch or try to fight her; he simply stood stock still, and allowed her to undress his wounds. She knew she would need to retrieve more bandages from the med wing, but if he was healed well enough she might just be able to avoid the trip. Saiyans were remarkably fast healers after all.

Despite his ability to remain indifferent to the woman's tender hands physically, mentally he wanted to either knock her through the wall, or throw her on his bed and fuck her brains out. His resolve was slipping with the human female, and he wondered briefly if all Saiyan males suffered similar fates when they finally found a female they were interested in. If they did, then he completely understood why over half the mated males he had come across always told him to never get one. Their benefits were nothing compared to their hassles. This female in particular was overly emotional, loud, obnoxious, crude, bossy, and constantly poking her nose where it didn't belong. Somehow she was able to bring out the best, and worst in him. Right at the moment he was feeling the worst beginning to surface.

"Watch what you're doing you idiotic woman!" Vegeta snapped, swatting at her hand as she withdrew it from his still tender ribs. Despite the fact that they had indeed bonded back together they were still tender, and he wasn't too thrilled with her bony fingers stabbing at his injuries.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you." Bulma said without thinking. A low rumble startled her, and she looked at his face that was once again creased with angry lines.

"Look. I know you're not going to like what I have to say, but I'm going to say it anyway. You are still in no condition to train. You're healing remarkably well considering everything, and your ribs have bound together, BUT they are still in a delicate stage of recovery, and you can't risk using the extra g's. They will simply pull your ribs apart again. No, I'm not fixing the GR yet." Bulma said as she crossed her arms to mimic Vegeta's stance, and match his glare with one of her own.

He couldn't breathe, and everything was starting to turn blood red. He wanted to snap her neck, but for some Kami blasted reason he just couldn't bring himself to raise his hand against her. He roared in outrage, and swung. The wall gave way, and a hole the size of a dinner plate was left in its wake.

Bulma's eyes widened considerably, and she flinched at his actions, but those were her only responses.

"Vegeta, if you destroy one more thing in my house I'm going to make you go sleep outside in the broken GR. I've had it with your childish temper tantrums. QUIT IT!" She yelled as he rounded on her and gnashed his teeth as if he was going to bite her.

"Oh? And how exactly are you going to MAKE me little one?" Vegeta challenged in an extremely patronizing voice as he squared up to her, and stared down at her triumphantly when she cowered.

"I can take care of myself, and you know that for a fact. I can find my own food, and do my own form of training. Let's just see how many humans I can kill before you beg Kakkarot to bring me back so you can keep an eye on me. Isn't that what you promised Kakkarot you'd do?" Vegeta growled as sneered at Bulma's widened eyes. He'd finally hit the sore spot, and now, it was flowing with blood.

'How had he heard that? Goku and I were definitely out of hearing range.' Bulma thought panicked as she watched the anger flood his eyes. She definitely knew that when Saiyans were nearing their breaking point that their eyes would go completely white and Vegeta's were a very nice shade of milky brown. She had to calm him down fast before things got out of hand. She knew Vegeta had something against her, and now that she knew he'd overheard their conversation, she couldn't blame him. She would be pissed as well.

"Listen Vegeta, you can't blame us for not trusting you and the only reason Goku suggested it was because I have the resources necessary to care for you, and for some strange reason I didn't mind having you around all that much." Bulma roared above his guttural growl, and prayed to Kami he'd see reason. No such luck.

"No, you listen woman. The reason I stay in this shit hole you call a house is because you provide me with the facilities I deem appropriate for training. Fix that GR so it is space capable, and you will never have to "Keep an Eye on Me" again, and I won't have to worry about keeping the promise I made to protect you and yours while you housed me. That promise is the only reason why I haven't lopped off your head and drank your blood." Vegeta growled as he towered over Bulma's in an effort to intimidate her; that seemed to be working very well. He'd show the woman her place, and make sure she remembered it this time. He was done playing nice.

Bulma couldn't take Vegeta's attitude and angry words anymore. He was really starting to scare her again, but she wasn't about to let him bully her. She knew he was simply lashing out because his feelings and pride had been hurt, but where he was at emotionally she wasn't taking any chances. The truth was that Bulma hadn't thought Vegeta cared at all about anything they did or said. She thought he was simply using her family for their resources. Unfortunately she realized belatedly that Vegeta had offered the only thing he had as a show of appreciation and reciprocation for their hospitality, himself and his word. He had nothing but his power, and his word as the prince of all Saiyans, and to him it was everything. She wished she had realized it sooner.

"Vegeta, please, don't do anything we both will regret. I didn't mean to insult you; I was simply trying to help." She said as she reached for his arm.

Vegeta swatted her hand away, and was somewhat pleased that it had stung enough to cause an audible yelp to escape her lips. He glared at her ruefully as he raised his hand to finish ripping off his bandages.

"We are done talking female. I have no more desire to see you. I will allow you to redress my wounds, but I will be leaving afterwards. I have no more use for you. If you refuse to provide me with the training equipment I need, I have no reason to stay." Vegeta growled as he reached into the bottom drawer of his night stand, and retrieved a first aid kit Bulma's father had placed there for just such circumstances.

Bulma was panic stricken as thoughts of what Vegeta would do once he was out on his own flooded her conscious, and what was worse was the fact that she was the one who had driven him to the state he was in. The innocent blood would be on her hands, and she was powerless to stand against him.

"Alright, Vegeta, here." Bulma said dejectedly as she held her hand out to receive the box of medical supplies.

Vegeta watched the myriad of emotions play across her face, but was unaffected. She had royally pissed him off, and was going to suffer the consequences. Blood would be spilt, and it would be on her conscience. He smirked in satisfaction as he watched her tape his ribs, and redress his wounds quickly and efficiently. He did notice how her delicate hands shook as she worked, but her stony expression betrayed nothing of her anxiety.

"There, all better." Bulma whispered as she ran her hand over the sticky bandage at his side. She slowly looked up at Vegeta's cold eyes, and pleaded silently with him not to do anything bad. When he showed no sign of comprehension she voiced her concerns.

"Vegeta, please, don't take your anger out anyone who hasn't provoked it." She said as she watched Vegeta turn toward the closet that held his clean, but still blood stained, battle gear. She watched as he donned each item, and grimaced when he tried squeezing into the tight chest plate. He got caught up in a painful spot, and Bulma gently helped guide his elbow away from his chest as he finished slipping it on. She then stood back and stared at him in a morbid sense of awe. He was regal, he was handsome, he was the devil incarnate, but she couldn't bring herself to hate him.

Vegeta was momentarily confused by the woman's willingness to help him when she knew he was not going to listen to her plea. He cast her one last angry glare before turning toward his balcony doors. He threw them open, and levitated a few inches of the ground to test his strength and stability before shooting off into the rising sun. He was nearly brought to his knees when as he was taking off he felt the gentle brush of a hand against his tail, and felt the silent plea that came with it. He looked back once, and shook his head as he saw the little female run to the edge of the balcony and fall to her knees.

'Not this time woman.' He thought as he shot off toward the area where he'd trained the last time he'd fled the compound. He wasn't going to let anyone control him ever again.

Author's Note: YAY 100 REVIEWS!!! WOOO HOOO Ok, now, don't start slackin on me now. I need them reviews! Thanks to all you who have stuck with me, and I'm thinkin about switchin the speed in the next chapter. I hope you like. Please, leave me lots of reviews! I work faster that way!


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Time for a Heart to Heart

Author's Note: This chapter could be a little off the beaten path, but bear with me. I'm trying to keep the chapters coming at a regular pace. I just found out my mom has basal cell cancer on her face and different parts of her body yesterday at her appointment, and I've had the shittiest week ever. Please bear with me for my mind hasn't been quite right lately. I hope this chapter gives you all something to keep you satisfied because my next update might not be for a while pending my mom's surgery etc.

Bulma's brow was creased in concentration as she carefully soldered the last circuit into place. She'd been working on some advancements for the GR and subsequently adding a few more options to the, in her opinion already insane training regime Vegeta had set for himself. She'd created battle droids with different settings for different intensities while training. She figured that if she at least gave Vegeta the option to up the ante; he may not break them so often. She also increased the gravity to 2000. She knew she shouldn't have, but she figured it would keep him busy for a little while at least.

Her thoughts began to roam as she worked, and she wondered briefly where her surly house guest was, what he was doing, and if he ever planned on coming back. He'd been gone for a little over two weeks, and despite herself; she was beginning to worry he'd grow bored and start trouble.

She'd made it a point to inform Goku of Vegeta's abrupt departure after a week of his absence, and he'd assured her he would handle the situation if the need arose. She wasn't sure in what way her friend would handle things, but she hoped things wouldn't reach that point. She hadn't heard anything from Goku in a little over five days, and assumed that no news was good news. She just hoped she was right to assume. She hated assuming, but with Vegeta; all you could do was guess.

"BULMA!"

CLANG!

"OUCH! Oh shit, WHAT!?!" Bulma yelled when she reared her head back and slammed her head into the top of the control panel. She rubbed the sore spot and growled as she withdrew her hand and saw a tiny spot of blood. She looked up and sure enough, the very tip of a screw was sticking from the hatch. She rolled her eyes and ignored the tiny pin prick annoyance in the back of her skull as she pulled herself up, and stalked toward the door.

"Hey, whatcha doin? It's almost six thirty, and everyone will be heading over her in a couple of hours. You may want to hurry up and get ready so we can set things up." Yaumcha said as he took in her overall appearance with a grimace. He didn't think she was ugly by any stretch; he just preferred his pretty little playboy pin up to the grease monkey of an ex he was staring at. They were still friends, but seeing as how they had seen very little of each other since the split; things were still a little awkward to say the least. He was just glad that Bulma seemed to not mind the fact that he'd hooked up with one of his internet play mates. She was a little catty, but her overall lack of intelligence and willingness to do whatever he wanted appealed to him. This woman didn't make him feel stupid or inferior like Bulma had. He knew she was out of his league, but like any male; he hated having his pride crushed.

Bulma looked down at herself, and dusted her grease stained hands against the side of her work jumpsuit out of insecurity. She knew she looked horrible, and probably smelled that way too. However, she didn't have time to dwell on those thoughts as she immediately jumped into her work mode. She'd completely lost track of time, and her friends were due at her house in roughly two hours. She sighed, and puffed her bangs from her face in exasperation.

"Ok, well, do you think you and Candy can go pick up the catering I ordered yesterday? It won't take me long to get ready, but I don't want to be gone when everyone gets here. You know how Goku is." Bulma asked as she resituated her messy bun.

"Sure can. She's actually still getting ready at my place. I'll pick her up on the way." Yaumcha said as his eyes followed her movements, and he wrinkled his nose as he watched her smear grease in her hair as she tied it up.

"Ok, here's my card, some capsules, and if you need anything else you know what to do." Bulma said flippantly as she ignored the irritation that was slowly creeping in at the mention of her replacement. To say she wasn't hurt would be a lie, but it was more her pride than her feelings. She would live, but she really had to plaster a smile on when the ditzy red head was around. She could stand stupid people who were actually nice, but when you coupled stupidity with arrogance and a bitchy attitude; Bulma really couldn't stand to be in the same room without wanting to brawl. It seemed to her as she watched Yaumcha trot to his car; that he always seemed to have a knack at finding her buttons and dancing all over them.

"What am I going to do with you?" She said to herself as she turned to the GR to seal it up for the night. She didn't want any of her guests getting drunk and doing something stupid.

"Well, you could start preparing my dinner for starters."

"HOLY SHIT!!" Bulma screamed as she whirled around and nearly fell on her ass at the feel of a body suddenly making its appearance right behind her.

Bulma steadied herself against the GR's exterior control tower, and stared wide eyed as Vegeta glared at her neutrally. She tried to steady her breathing when he took a few short steps toward her, and leaned in to stare at her like someone would a piece of art. She shifted her stance, and blushed a beet red at the intensity of his scrutiny.

"When did you get back? No one…"

"Just now. I would advise you to stop while you still have your head. Fix me something to eat, now, or you are going to wish you hadn't disobeyed me." Vegeta growled menacingly. For some reason he was in a much fouler mood after scenting the scarred male on her skin.

Bulma puffed her bangs, and growled in absolute anger as she stormed past Vegeta; conveniently trying to bump his shoulder as she walked by. When she didn't hear anything for a second she rounded. Vegeta had put her through an emotional hell, and she'd be damned if she let him come back just to do it again. She didn't know if she had the mental and emotional fortitude to deal with him, and her current situation with her ex. It was just too soon for her. She sighed heavily; suddenly very tired.

"Listen here Vegeta. You've been gone for just under a week doing only Kami knows what, and then you show up here demanding things like you own the place; well guess what? I'm not your servant, this is not your home, and I'm not lifting a damn finger for you in any way. I'm going to get a shower, and change. I'm going to have fun at the party I'm throwing for my friends, and I'm going to enjoy myself without having to worry about you. You said not to bother, and trust me, I'm not going to. I'm tired of you constantly treating me like shit, and I'm done Vegeta. I'm done. You can take care of yourself like a big boy because I'm not going to pamper you like the spoiled brat you are." Bulma said as she glared at a surprised Vegeta from under her bangs. Apparently she'd gone and done something to shock him for a change. Well, it was about damn time someone told the fucker off.

Vegeta's immediate shock at being cowed by the little female faded after a few seconds, and he snarled at her in a combination of humiliation and anger. He'd never had anyone talk to him in such a way besides the ones who'd brought him into existence. He crossed the short distance that separated them, and gripped her upper arms forcefully. He saw her flinch in pain, but ignored it as he stared her down. He was furious with her for denying him service, he was tired of her always making him submit to her despite everything, he was unnerved by the way she could make him feel content, and he was aroused by her in every way. He bared his teeth at her, and growled as he scented her once more; the pungent stench of the other male causing him to bristle. For some unknown reason; smelling another male's scent on her bothered him greatly.

Bulma tried her hardest not to show how afraid she was. The few days that Vegeta had spent roughing it made him look considerably more wild than he had before, and his current behavior wasn't helping to tone down his frightening appearance. His hair was matted with dust and dead leaves, and he was sporting a decent five o clock shadow. His clothing was ripped and dirty, but thankfully free of anything that would indicate a repeat of his previous retreat. His eyes and posture, however, were what worried her the most. His eyes were wide and wild; like a caged animal, and he was wound like a steel cord ready to snap at any moment without the slightest provocation.

"Let go Vegeta." She said in a low steady whisper that apparently fell on deaf ears. She felt her heart stop beating as Vegeta snorted, and rubbed his head against hers while pulling her flush to his chest. She froze in place as she tried desperately to figure out a way to escape the crushing embrace. It felt as if he was trying to cover her with his body, and her eyes widened in shock and irritation when she realized what he was doing.

"Vegeta, I don't know where you get off thinking that it's ok to scent mark me. I swear to Kami if you don't let go right now I'm going to jerk a knot in your tail." Bulma yelled as she grabbed onto his tail that was wrapped around his waist. He was beginning to take way too many liberties with her, and she was putting her foot down. There had to be some boundaries set.

Vegeta reared back, and stared wide eyed at the female in front of him. He looked down between them and saw his tail held firmly in her hands. She was not causing him pain, but the tight grip she held spoke volumes of truth about her earlier threat. She wouldn't hesitate to follow through with her threat. Something had changed in her since he'd left, and it bothered him to no end.

"Don't" was all he could muster to say as he stared into her eyes; trying to convey his meanings. His hands shot down to wrap around hers, and he applied gentle pressure on them to still her every tightening hands.

Seeing that her point had been made, Bulma gently released her hold on his tail after a few tense seconds, and sighed irritably. She watched as Vegeta withdrew his hands, and clenched them into fists at his sides.

"Don't you ever do that again. I am not your property, and you cannot, no, will not mark me as such. Do you understand me?" Bulma growled as she swatted at him angrily.

His tail wound tighter around his waist as he stared at Bulma in frustration. Once again she had misunderstood his actions. He wasn't trying to mark her as his; he was merely trying to rid her of the other male's scent. He much preferred her natural scent, but if he couldn't smell that; he'd rather cover her in his. It was the only logical alternative; to him anyway.

His eyes narrowed as he realized that the female standing before him had no idea the gravity of what he'd done. He wasn't just trying to mask the scent of another male on her skin; he was trying to scent mark her to let any other males know he was interested in her, and that they would have to fight him for her attentions.

'Bloody perfect.' He thought. He was completely trumped. Unfortunately for him humans were unaware of Saiyan courting rituals, and he was disappointed to see that Bulma was no wiser. Though he should have expected as much, but he'd once again forgotten that his little female was not Saiyan.

He snorted in frustration. What was it she wanted from him? He'd done everything he'd known of to show her his interest, but she seemed to be oblivious to him. If she had been a female Saiyan; she would have known he was being extremely attentive to her. Most Saiyan males didn't ask a female if she was interested, they didn't share food, they didn't engaged in play, they didn't scent mark a female, and they didn't bother to pursue a female in a way that allowed them to be in control. He was being the epitome of the perfect gentleman according to his races standards; something he would have been scorned for as the crowned prince. He just didn't understand what she was wanting, and he didn't understand why he cared to impress her so much.

'Why in the world am I even engaging in such frivolous behavior? There are definitely more important things at hand, and my training should be my first concern; not some silly little chit.' He thought absently as he stared her down. His confusion mounting as he contemplated his own actions.

When did her position switch so drastically with him? When did he decide he wanted her to be his? He hadn't meant to do what he'd done, but he couldn't change things now. He'd acknowledged his attraction to her, and now he wouldn't be able to rest until he'd given his all in pursuing her. He just hoped that his time wasn't being wasted.

"Kiezeke Nagra." He mumbled in his own language as he turned abruptly and stalked his way to the waiting GR. He needed time to think, and the woman was starting to give him a headache.

Bulma watched him go, tapping in the unlock code as he went. She didn't need to be told, and she didn't want him to come back. She knew he wouldn't try to engage her new programs because he didn't know they existed yet. She would show him later; when he was being more amiable. She watched as he disappeared through the entrance and the capsules ramp sealed him in. She had successfully resisted the urge to lob her spanner at his head at the last minute. Whatever he'd said as his parting remark couldn't be anything less than an insult to her.

"Unbe fucking leavable" Bulma growled as she gripped the tool in her left hand. How dare he try to mark her? She was not his property, and never would be. She was Bulma Briefs, and he would respect her even if she had to slip him a pee pee capsule. Yes, she was ruthless, but for some reason even she wasn't foolish enough to mess with a Saiyan's stomach. She instead, looked at her watch and squealed in panic. Her friends would be arriving in a few hours, and she was still a greasy mess. She bolted for her room and took, in her opinion, the world's fastest shower. She towel dried her hair, and let it flow in wavy tendrils down her back. She donned a pair of dark skinny jeans, her wide neck off the shoulder hunter green sweater, and her black slip on baby doll shoes. She applied some eye makeup, her lip gloss, and after checking herself in the mirror, jogged down the stairs toward the kitchen.

As she descended the stairs she heard the back door open, and assumed Yaumcha had returned with the groceries, and his little playboy bitch in tow. She was prepared to deal with the worst case scenario, but she wasn't actually planning to deal with it. She groaned to herself when she saw the nice ass, and swaying tail bent in front of the open refrigerator.

"I thought you were training." Bulma said as she halted her steps just outside the kitchen entrance, and leaned against the doorframe casually. For some reason she didn't really feel threatened by Vegeta's presence. She was actually more willing to interact with him than her ex's pin up. Though she would never admit that to anyone.

Vegeta straightened, and shut the refrigerator door in slight irritation. He cast Bulma a weary glance over his shoulder, but said nothing to acknowledge her. He then proceeded to rifle through each and every food containing space in the room. When he came up empty he growled angrily, and slammed the last cabinet door with a low rumble.

"I told you I'm having a party. I sent Yaumcha and Candy to pick up the catering a little while back. They should be here soon." She said as she checked her watch again before returning her gaze to her current companion.

He heaved a large sigh, and Bulma couldn't help but stare at his well sculpted back as each muscle rippled with the simple act. She frowned, something was off with Vegeta. He was a lot less aggressive, he wasn't as easy to set off, and he was being uncharacteristically quiet. She wasn't sure she was ok with this change, and wanted to get to the bottom of things. She entered the kitchen cautiously, and came up behind him as he stared out the kitchen window with his arms crossed over his chest like always. She gently placed the flat of her left palm on his shoulder blade, and leaned around to look at his profile.

"What's the deal Vegeta? You're being awfully quite." She said as she took a small step around him so she could look him fully in the eyes. She had thought he was being quite because he was tired, but when she saw his expression she frowned. He was completely fixed on whatever he was staring at, and even if she snapped her fingers in his face she doubted that he would divert his attention.

He was staring out the window with the deepest set scowl, and she could have sworn she heard him growling. The longer she stared at him the easier it was for her to pick up the subtle changes in his posture. She watched as his hackles slowly rose, and his tail was slightly fuzzed. His ears and nose twitched periodically. He seemed to be gathering himself up to his full height, and she could see his chest muscles rippling as he postured.

Something had him all riled up, and she was desperate to figure out what it was before he took action against whatever it was. She turned toward the window, and hopped her waist forward on the counter to see clearly out the window at her back yard.

'What the? What is his deal?" Bulma thought flabbergasted as she watched Yaumcha and Candy walking up the drive toward the back door. She turned to look at Vegeta over her shoulder, and began to feel anxious when she noticed the closer the two came toward the house, the more tense Vegeta got. She was completely confused as to why he was behaving in such a way.

"Hey, Vegeta. What gives? Stop it, now! What's up with you? That's just Yaumcha and Candy. You know Yaumcha!" Bulma said as she turned back to face Vegeta. His gaze drifted down to her for a split second before returning out the window. Bulma had seen all she needed to. She gently placed her hands against his chest above his crossed arms and slowly increased her pressure till she was using all her weight to push against him. She needed to get him away from the window, and calmed down before the two came through the back door.

Vegeta snapped out of his stupor, and glared down at Bulma, who was currently giving him a decent shove. He allowed her to maneuver him to wherever it was she wanted him, and was surprised when she backed him all the way out of the kitchen and over the arm of the couch. He hadn't planned on allowing her to topple him, but the damned couch arm sat just above his knees, and her pushing coupled with gravity did him in.

Bulma watched as Vegeta's eyes widened in shock and disbelief as she toppled him onto the couch in a very unSaiyan like manner. He sat with one leg dangled over the arm while the other settled on the floor to keep him from falling off while his right arm clutched the back of the couch and his left arm braced against the couch cushions. She could tell he was slightly put out, and more than a little embarrassed for his loss of composure, but despite the possible outburst that she was assuming would come; she couldn't help but laugh at the comical sight.

Her laughter rang in his ears and he glared at her ruefully as frowned at her; his jaw visibly clenched. That definitely wasn't what he'd had in mind when he wanted to gain her attention. He growled low, and his tail spiked in annoyance at the fact that she was laughing at him. Leave it to the woman to damage his pride and somehow come out intact.

Slam!

Both heads turned at the sound of the back door hitting the wall. Bulma's eyes narrowed, and Vegeta could tell she somehow already knew who was coming through the door. He craned his neck as rose from his compromising position on the couch, and scented the air. He reared his head back, and clasped a hand over his nose in absolute disgust as the smell assaulted his sensitive nose.

"Who the fuck is that?" He growled low as he came up behind a still seething Bulma. He could hear the weakling and another female conversing in the kitchen, and the pop of a capsule followed by the rustling of food bags. Her tiny ki level was wavering, and he could tell she was trying to maintain her composure. As he continued to wait patiently for her answer he couldn't help but take a deep draw from her still partially damp hair to rid his nose of the nasty smell.

Bulma felt him scenting her hair and rolled her eyes, but otherwise ignored it completely. She didn't need to start another fight with him.

"That, my dear Saiyan would be Yaumcha's new girlfriend, Candy. She's a model and a playboy playmate. She does adult films, and is absolutely everything he could ever want." Bulma said with biting sarcasm as she turned her heated glare toward the disgruntled Saiyan standing behind her.

For some reason, the smell being his biggest and only real reason, Vegeta was loathed to enter the kitchen despite his desire to explore the capsules of food that the woman said the scarred one possessed. He gave Bulma a gentle nudge toward the kitchen, and couldn't help the smirk that pulled at his lips when she cast him a very harassed look before conceding.

"OK, I get it. Sigh; come on your majesty I'll spare you from such inhumane torture." Bulma groused as she took hold of his hand, and drew him toward the kitchen behind her.

In truth Bulma was glad for Vegeta's presence. She took comfort in the fact that Yaumcha was terrified of the burly brute, and knew that he was less likely to poke fun with him around. However, she wasn't so sure how Vegeta would respond to Candy. She knew from past experience that Candy was an incredible flirt, and for some reason she wasn't looking forward to watching her melt all over him like a dog in heat. Yaumcha was attractive that was true, but when it came to looks Bulma had to admit that Vegeta had him beat, hands down. There was just no comparison to the two. Vegeta was in a league all his own. He was the stuff wet dreams were made of, and Bulma blushed as she recalled having one of her own a few months back.

As the two prepared to enter the kitchen they were greeted by an unusual sight. Instead of the two occupants being locked in either a passionate embrace or simply hanging all over one another; they were actually setting out the food like Bulma had asked, and to her expressed delight; Candy was wearing a very conservative outfit and acting like a normal human being. She wore tight dark jeans and a black tube top with a gold baby phat cat on the front with little strappy heels; a drastic change to her stiletto shoes, short miniskirts, and low cut halters with no bra. To say Bulma wasn't slightly relieved was an understatement. At least her goods weren't on sale today. However, the two were too engrossed in their own little world to notice that there were other people in the house. They must have assumed she was still getting ready, and that Vegeta was still mia. Bulma shrugged indifferently.

"She smells terrible."

Bulma shivered slightly as Vegeta's warm breath tickled her ear, and she couldn't help but take delight in the heat radiating from his body so close to hers. She subconsciously gave his hand a gentle squeeze before releasing him from her hold. She knew he wouldn't allow it when others were around, and she wasn't about to test his patience just yet.

"I know, she wears a ton of perfume. It's strong, but it wears off after a while." She reassured as she took a step toward the kitchen entrance.

Bulma let out a tiny his of a breath when she was pulled back against his chest by her arms, and she craned her head upwards and backwards to stare at his face behind her. She frowned when she noticed the disgusted look on his face as he shook his head a negative and cocked her head slightly in confusion.

"No, that's not it. She smells…" He struggled for the right words. "She smells like multiple different men, and … rutting" He finished with a look of utter embarrassment.

Bulma's eyes bugged at his statement, and her mouth formed a very tantalizing 'O' when she finally understood his meaning. He must have no idea what an adult film artist was. Now it was her turn to blush.

"Well, she is an adult film star. She gets paid to have sex with a lot of different men in movies. Some people will rent, buy, or look at those videos on the computer to well… you know." Bulma said slowly dying of embarrassment inside when she saw the complete and utter shock and horror on his face. It was apparent that Vegeta wasn't fond of such activities when he snorted and shook his head to rid it of whatever thoughts were trying to force their way in.

"I'm not going in there." He stated as he removed his hands from her arms and took three generous steps backward.

Bulma turned around and cast him a scolding look before reaching for his hand. She was surprised that he let her actually make contact.

"I really don't like being alone with them. It is very awkward." Bulma admitted begrudged as she looked down to the side; unable to meet his gaze.

Vegeta sensed her hesitation and picked up on the subtle meaning behind her statement. She wanted him there. He felt a tightening in his chest. She wanted him there as her companion, and her protector from whatever slurs or pain the two occupants may attempt to inflict upon her. He knew they wouldn't dare raise a hand against her physically, but he knew by the way her little ki wavered anxiously that she was worried for some reason. With a great sigh of resignation he slowly lifted his tail and wrapped it around her wrist gently. His stomach did a flip when a brilliant smile was directed his way, and he nearly stumbled when she reached up and gently graced her luscious lips against his cheek in thanks.

He was dazed as he followed the woman blindly into the kitchen; tail still firmly wrapped around her wrist. Under normal circumstances he would have let go before crossing the threshold, but considering the circumstances to him were anything but normal; he felt a certain possessiveness wash over him.

"Hey Yaumcha, Candy, did you have any trouble getting the food?" Bulma asked cordially as she tried to discreetly pry Vegeta's tail off her wrist so she could go about her business.

Yaumcha smiled brightly at her and shook his head no as he held up a giant turtle cheesecake as an example.

"Not unless you consider this trouble." He laughed as he set it down in front of her and she feigned a heart attack.

"Oh, Bulma, who's your new friend? I don't think we've been properly introduced." Candy said as she batted her lashes at Vegeta, and pushed out her chest as she strutted toward him seductively.

Bulma growled low, and Vegeta stared down at her in shock. He looked between the two women, and could swear that if Bulma had been in possession of a tail it would be fuzzed and lashing about. He gently stroked the inside of her palm with his tail, and could feel her relax if only slightly at his reassurance. He also took a slight step to the right; angling himself slightly behind the small woman. He was a warrior true, but when it came to this particular female he wasn't taking any chances of contracting some alien disease.

"This is Vegeta. He's a guest here." Bulma said as politely as she could; fake smile plastered.

Vegeta was picking up on Bulma's body language, and becoming increasingly interested in her. She was on edge and looking for a fight. He'd never seen her so worked up, and it suddenly hit him. Why it hadn't crossed his mind before surprised him, and he frowned. This Candy was the female the scar faced male had taken in place of Bulma. He knew the woman had severed her ties with the scarred earthling when he no longer smelled the male on her skin or ran into him during meals, but now that he was witness to it. He understood completely why she desired his presence.

The little blue female was not agitated and looking for a fight, rather, she was agitated and on the defensive. He scented her tentatively, and was genuinely surprised. He'd always thought the woman to be very self confident, arrogant even, but her insecurities were becoming more and more visible to him as he stood close to her.

Candy held out her well manicured hand to Vegeta with a seductive smile on her painted lips. Her smile soon turned to a disgusted grimace, and she snobbishly withdrew her hand when he looked at her outstretch hand then immediately shot her the 'Not on your life' look. However, she wouldn't be deterred. When she saw something she wanted; she got it, and at the moment she wanted the bronzed Adonis her boyfriend's ex was standing in front of.

"Oh, Bulma. I was talking to my photographer the other day about you. He said he remembered taking your picture for time magazine and fortune. Tell me, isn't he just the greatest? I mean; he has to be to get your coloring right." Candy said as she gestured toward Bulma's stiff form.

"I'm not sure what you mean. My coloring has never been a problem during photo shoots." Bulma said genuinely confused about Candy's meaning, but knowing it couldn't be good. She self-consciously patted the tresses at her side and looked at the other woman for clarification.

"Oh, it's just that, well, you know, you're so pasty pale, and your hair coloring is so faint that you probably look like a ghost or like you have some kind of skin disorder under all those bright lights." Candy said.

Bulma was stunned. That had been a well aimed blow below the bet. Candy one, Bulma zero. She knew that Candy was jealous of her exotic coloring, but Bulma had been teased about it her whole life, and she couldn't help the nagging insecurity that maybe she was wrong about her color.

"Well, no matter. He always does a wonderful job; even if I have to be touched up." Bulma quietly agreed trying to avoid a fight.

"Oh darling, by the way, if you want, I could put in a word with my plastic surgeon and get you a discount of anything you want. He loves to tackle any challenge, and does excellent work. I'd suggest starting with a little botox, then possibly a tummy and tush tuck, and maybe some breast implants. You know that guys like a woman with huge tits." Candy said as she gestured to the areas where she'd had work done.

Bulma looked down at her B nearly C cup breasts, her shapely ass, and her tummy. Sure, she had a little bit of extra fat, but women were supposed to have that; right? Her eyes glistened and she nodded absently.

"Ya babe, Dr. Mainka does an excellent job. He could do wonders for you!" Yaumcha chimed in as he continued to unpack the exaggerated amounts of food needed to feed a large group of humans and two and a half Saiyans.

Vegeta's eyes widened and his head snapped down to stare at Bulma with concern. He saw her eyes begin to water and growled angrily. She was actually considering the things they were saying. He tightened his tail's grip on her wrist and pulled her flush against his front protectively, and snarled at the female who dared attack his female of interest.

"I see nothing wrong with her appearance at all. What is the purpose of mutilating your body?" Vegeta growled as his hackles rose defensively.

Yaumcha slowly turned to acknowledge the other male in the room. He'd tried his hardest to ignore the man, but his incredible ki, even at rest was alarming. However, now that it was starting to rise he felt the need to back pedal. He wasn't sure what had riled the temperamental Saiyan to begin with, but he was pretty sure it had to do with the proximity of his new girlfriend.

"Candy, can you come put these desserts over on that table. I need to get the drinks into the fridge." He said as he yanked the red headed beauty back by her long curly mane.

"Sure baby, whatever you say." She said as she accepted the cake from him with a kiss to his lips.

Bulma narrowed her eyes and turned her head away as the two made their exchange, and felt as if she needed to throw up.

"Well, there are a lot of things about humans that you may not understand yet Vegeta. Males find certain physical characteristics more appealing than others, and well; some women just don't have those characteristics naturally. That is why they have surgery. It makes the ones who are ugly normal, and the plain or average ones beautiful. That's just how it is. Bulma, you're beautiful, but not many guys want a girl that looks like you. You're too thin, and you don't have very big tits. You're not dainty, and most of the time you've got grease under your nails. Natural beauty will only get you so far babe. Sometimes you have to work for it." Yaumcha said carefully as he continued to work at his task.

Vegeta bristled, and growled at Yaumcha in barely contained rage. He'd heard enough, seen enough, and felt his control slipping. How dare that weakling insinuate that the female he'd abandoned was anything less than absolute perfection? He'd traveled the universe, and seen some of the rarest and most beautiful species of women. He'd even partaken of a few, but none had struck his fancy the way she had. Everything about her was unique, and he couldn't understand for the life of himself why the weakling would choose some trashy whore over her.

Bulma sniffled at Yaumcha's hurtful comments, and absently covered her hands with the long sleeves of her sweater. She wasn't so much hurt by the words themselves because she'd been teased and picked on her whole life, but it was the fact they were coming from the man who had once said he loved her.

'Will I ever be good enough for anyone?' She thought as she closed her eyes against the tears that threatened to fall, and gently freed her wrist from Vegeta's tail.

She ignored Yaumcha's questioning of where she was going and Vegeta's growl as she bolted from the kitchen and retreated to her room. She just wanted to be alone. She'd wanted to throw a party for her friend because she knew that these might very well be the last times they would share together, and somehow, like always, Yaumcha had to go and ruin it for her.

Knock Knock Knock

"GO AWAY YAUMCHA!" Bulma yelled from her black and purple beanbag. She absently picked up her stuffed cat snuggles and hugged him to her chest and chewed on his left ear. His tail was missing, and he looked more like a bean with ears than a cat after soo many years of love, and his left ear was chewed and deformed. However, in her current state of mind she couldn't think of anything else to do. Ever since she was a child she'd cuddled and chewed on her snuggle kitty when she was sad or upset. She hadn't been a thumb sucker, but she chewed the hell out of that stuffed cat's ear.

Her door opening slowly caused her to hesitantly peer up from under her bangs at the self imposing intruder, and she buried her head behind the stuffed cat as she sunk further into the bean bag when she saw who it was.

Vegeta felt extremely awkward as he peered at the wounded female from behind her slightly ajar door. He had never been in a situation where he felt the need to defend and care for another being, and to say he was unsure of his actions would be a gross understatement.

"Woman? What is wrong with you?" He growled out a little more harshly than he'd intended.

"Just go away Vegeta. It's ok. I'm fine. I just want to be alone for a while." She said trying to sound sure of herself and failing miserably.

Vegeta frowned as he nudged the door all the way open with his shoulder, and slowly made his way to where she was curled up. He sat crossed legged in front of the round bag she was sitting in and just watched her. He noticed the wet trails where she'd obviously been crying and snorted out a slight chuckle when he noticed her jaw fixed against the ear of some deformed creature in her arms. He reached out gently and gave the thing a tug; effectively popping it out of her mouth.

"Don't do that; you might break your delicate human teeth." He said with a smirk.

Despite herself Bulma couldn't help the watery laugh that came after his off handed comment. She then wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve, and stared at him with a look of genuine appreciation.

"You know something? You can be really sweet when you want to be Vegeta." Bulma said as she moved forward to wrap her arms around his neck and place a small kiss against his cheek before settling herself in his lap; still hugging him tight.

His face was white, and his heart was beating a mile a minute. His hands were clammy, and fisting and unfisting on his crossed knees. His back was ramrod straight, and he looked as if someone had just set a live ki grenade in his lap. His mind was blank, and he felt panic rip through him.

'What the fuck…..' Was all that went through his mind as Bulma hugged him tight, and nuzzled her face into his chest. He slowly lowered his head to stare down at the tiny female, and after a few short moments laid his head atop hers, and wrapped his tail around her protectively as he watched over her silently. He was unsure what her actions meant as far as humans were concerned, but he responded to them as any Saiyan male would. He was her shield from the terrors of the world around her, and even if he hadn't wanted to be she'd placed the burden on him the minute she'd placed her life in his hands and used his body as her refuge. Vegeta wasn't a man of words, but a man of action, and he hoped the woman understood that he would be her protector whenever she needed him, and he would care for her when she needed care. She was the only pack member he had, and he would fight to protect her, and make sure she found the right mate even if it drove him to the brink of insanity, and even if it wasn't him. His heart fell at the thought, and his tail tightened around her. He didn't want to think about what would happen if she chose another, but he cared for her enough to place her needs above his own.

"Thank you Vegeta." Bulma said as she raised her head to stare into his eyes. She could see all the emotions play across his face as clear as day, and was shocked by the sudden change. When had this happened, and more importantly, why had she not seen it before? He looked lost; confused as to what was expected of him, fear for some reason, and a deep sadness that left her confused, but there was another emotion that she knew he didn't even recognize underneath all the rest, and it scared her more than anything.

He cared for her. He had never cared for anyone his entire life, and for some reason he cared for her. She wasn't sure she was worthy of such a thing. For someone like Vegeta to actually allow himself to care for someone was a miracle, and she was afraid she wasn't capable of handling such emotions. She was afraid of doing something wrong, and she couldn't live with the thought of hurting Vegeta in such a way.

She smiled at him, and raised her wrist to his face. His eyes immediately cleared, and he leaned forward, pressing his nose to her wrist and inhaling deeply. She knew he needed to understand her, and she only knew on way to explain it to him without causing a rift in cultural barriers.

Vegeta gently nipped the inside of her wrist after taking in her scent. Something in her put him at ease, and he relaxed when she cupped his jaw in her palm. He let out a low rumble and nuzzled the side of his face into her palm all the while maintaining eye contact from under half closed lids.

"So, does this mean we're friends?" She asked as she cocked her head to the side to look him in the eye.

Vegeta paused for a moment to contemplate her words in his own language. "I suppose that would be what you humans call it; yes." He rumbled as he raised his head slightly. It wasn't the type of relationship he wanted with the woman, but he was willing to take what he could get and work his way up. He gently swiped the tip of his tongue against her palm eliciting a startled cry from her lips.

Bulma smiled mischievously, and chuckled at the gesture and retrieved her hand only to lightly flick his nose. She watched as he turned his head quickly and snapped at her hand with a playful growl before bucking her out of his lap and pinning her back to the ground. She let out an eep of surprise and a grunt and her back made contact with her hard wood floor.

"De ja vu." She said as she rolled her eyes in mock annoyance at him, and relished in the fact that he wanted to play with her. He seemed to be more at ease while playing, and she couldn't help but wonder if he'd ever actually been taught or told how to have a romantic relationship with a woman. She shook that thought from her head as a sly smirk spread across his face.

'Oh crap' She thought as her eyes widened. She knew that look, and it didn't mean anything good for her.

"HAHAHAHAHA! NOOOOO! STOP, AHHHHHHHHHH" Bulma screamed as Vegeta's tail wriggled against her ribcage. She was ticklish beyond anything, and was crying tears of mirth as she writhed and bucked and tried to free her hands so she could stop the tickle torture.

"You didn't say please woman" Vegeta rumbled, and he couldn't help the small chuckles that passed his lips as he held her down and watched her dance, though her screams were rather high pitched.

"Woman hush, you're hurting my ears." Vegeta scolded quietly as he leaned forward and tapped his nose to hers.

Unfortunately for the two, her screams reached the ears of a guest who decided to pop in early, and as all screams are, was misinterpreted for a scream for help. He was so caught up in what he was doing that he didn't even sense the ki fast approaching. It wasn't until he felt a sharp crack against his temple and saw a bright flash of light that he realized he'd been broadsided. The woman's horrified scream, and the sound of his heart pounding in his ears slowly faded as his vision clouded over and he slipped into darkness.

Author's Note: Ok, don't hate me, but I just couldn't really get this chapter going. This is def. my mental defecation of the week. I hope to make the next chapter more substantial. Read review, and I will update accordingly. No, seriously, review!


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Blind Fury and Heart of the Moment

Author's Note: Thank you all for your reviews and kind words. Just to let you know, my mother had cancer on her nose about six years ago. I was in the room with her when they did the surgery, and the scar has made her very self conscious. This time the cancer is once again on her nose, but additionally on her head, forehead, cheek, and various parts of her arms and legs. It is treatable with surgery, and they have it scheduled next month. Basically they will be having a consultation for a full body exam where they will biopsy every single place cancer is found. They will then take her in, remove the patches, and graft skin from areas on her body with similar pigment and density. She is very nervous, but she beat it before without having to endure the harsh chemical treatments, and we are praying she beats it again this time. Feb. she will have a follow up and it will be determined if she will need more aggressive treatments. Her advice to avoid this is to wear sunscreen, and DON'T USE TANNING BEDS!! She was a sun worshiper and tanning bed addict when she was younger, and it has finally caught up to her.

I hope this chapter is back on track, and thank you for your concern, patience, and kindness with me. I have put a lot of thought in where I am going with this story, and it is going to be a Long one with probably close to thirty chapters at this rate. Hopefully I'll be able to keep your interest that long. So, without further ado; your chapter update. ^_^

A bright explosion of lights crossed his vision followed by a near deafening crack. The ringing in his ears muffled all sound, but the woman's screams. Pieces of glass like tiny barbs pierced his skin as one of the French doors shattered on contact, and he felt weightless as he fell bodily to the ground below. His body hit with a sickening thud; knocking the wind from his barely healed lungs. He let out a growl mingled with a groan as he shook his head while picking himself up from the marred earth below. He spat some blood from his mouth before fixing his sights on the man standing in the gaping hole he'd been sent through moments before.

'Kakkarot!'

His thoughts turned bloody as his hackles raised along with his ki, and he let out a guttural roar at his enemy. Blood flowed freely from his scalp and other various places on his body. He shook his head furiously, and wiped his face; smearing blood all across. He snarled and his tail lashed about furiously as he watched the other male posture above him and growl as he prevented Bulma from approaching the scene. The way Kakkarot was acting around the female drove his jumbled senses into overdrive until one instinct's demands were all he heard.

He had to fight for his female, and his territory. It was the call of his Saiyan Instincts that pulled at his gut. He felt as his rational mind gave way to a more primal side, and all thought and reason were lost.

Bulma watched in horror as Goku flew down to where Vegeta had picked himself up off the ground. The two were now mere inches apart, and apparently sizing each other up. Their noses were almost touching, and they were growling, snarling, showing their huge canines, and posturing. The fur on Vegeta's tail was on end, and both males' hackles were raised. She felt like she was watching the beginning of a dog fight, and screamed down at the two men to stop, but her pleas fell on deaf ears.

"GOKU… VEGETA… STOP IT!" Bulma yelled as she leaned out the gaping hole in the side of her room; not caring that the floor was now unstable and she could easily fall.

Vegeta was the first to strike. He head butted Goku in the face, and was not surprised when the younger Saiyan was only momentarily stunned; that was all the time he needed. He followed up with an elbow to the head, and a roundhouse kick to the head followed by another elbow to the back of the head which drove the younger male into the ground.

'Blind side me, I'll bash your skull in you third class mother fucker!' He thought as he made to stomp Goku's head in.

Goku's eyes widened and he let out a choked gasp of pain as he felt his nose break, and sparks flew before his eyes. He turned his head to the side, and barely had time to right himself before a booted foot came crashing down where his head once laid. His eyes widened as he took in Vegeta's form. Something had happened to the older male. His muscle mass appeared to be larger, and Goku could practically feel the testosterone radiating from his form by way of an increase in his Ki's intensity. The blood flowed faster from the numerous cuts and gashes that littered his body, and he seemed completely oblivious to anything going on around him.

Bulma ran as fast as she could down the stairs, through the living room and kitchen, past the two occupants who were too busy making out on her table to notice the commotion, and out the back door. She ran bare foot through the grass as she sprinted around the house; all the while praying that she could separate the two before they killed each other. She'd known something like this was bound to happen, but she'd not expected Goku to be the aggressor. She'd never in all her life thought that Vegeta would be the one forced into a fight. It was all surreal; it couldn't be happening.

'He's gone way too far this time.' She thought as she recalled the look in Goku's eyes. He was acting on instincts he didn't even understand. Unfortunately for him Vegeta was as he'd said before; a true Saiyan in all aspects. He knew himself and his race inside out, and understood the meaning behind each flex or growl. Goku was unwittingly challenging Vegeta in the one area he had the least confidence. His manhood.

As she rounded the corner Bulma caught sight of what she knew was no typical fight. Neither man was using any ki, and they seemed to be straight up brawling. Vegeta had resorted to biting, and Goku to tail pulling. Each male was inflicting more damage to the other than usual due to their lack of protection by their elevated ki. At present they were grappling on the ground, and Bulma gasped as she watched Vegeta rolled Goku onto his back, and began mercilessly pummeling him in the face. Blood poured from Goku's nose, and was slung across the yard tinting the green blades with a sickly dark hue. Something was wrong here, and she knew it had nothing to do with the situation, and everything to do with them both being Saiyan. Not just the fact that they were both Saiyan, but Saiyan males. She hesitated at the corner for a moment as she watched the two break from the one sided ground grapple, and sit back on their haunches glaring and gnashing their teeth at one another. She eyed Vegeta warily before turning her attention to her best friend. His eyes were wild, but she could see the hesitation there. He had transformed into a super Saiyan while on the ground, but it seemed like whatever state Vegeta was in was proving to be a little more difficult for the younger Saiyan to handle, and she could see in Goku's eyes that he was losing control of the situation he'd created, and regretting it.

'They're going to kill each other.' Bulma thought fearfully. Goku was acting out because he'd felt Vegeta had hurt her in some way, but she couldn't figure out what had possessed him to take it as far as he had. He was usually so passive, but he'd gone and lost control. It could have been the fact that he'd warned the older Saiyan, and was angry that his warning hadn't been heeded. Apparently Vegeta wasn't the only one whose pride could be bruised.

However, she was shaken by the display, and slightly frightened by her best friend's unusual behavior, but what scared her the most was the way Vegeta was reacting to Goku's aggression. His eyes were completely wild, and he looked a little more shaken than anything. He looked deranged, and something told her that Goku had accidentally crossed an unknown cultural line with the older male causing Vegeta to feel the need to defend himself and his pride. She just couldn't figure it out, but when Goku launched his counter attack, and the two locked in a death grip on the other. She knew she needed to act before life blood was shed.

"STOP IT YOU TWO, NOW!! QUIT IT! She screamed as she ran toward the two. She was so caught up with her fear of losing one of the males that her common sense flew right out the window, and she ran up behind Goku to try and pull him away by his gi. The minute her hands made contact, Goku struck without thinking.

CRACK!!

A feminine scream pierced the testosterone induced haze, and both males stood shocked as they watched a streak of blue fall to the ground with a thud. Goku's eyes widened in panic as he watched Bulma get knocked back. She'd grabbed a hold of his gi only to be elbowed in the head as he'd reared his arm back preparing to release a fist to Vegeta's face.

Vegeta's eyes widened, and a roar like none other tore from his throat as he bashed Goku into the dirt before he immediately turned his attention to the little female lying in a ball on the ground. She was holding the side of her face and writhing from the agonizing pain in her head.

Goku slowly allowed his transformation to slip, and felt the extra power leave his tight muscles. With more effort than he would have liked Goku hefted himself to his feet, and quickly made his way to where his friend lay. He hadn't meant to strike her down, but he wasn't thinking rationally at the time. As he reached a hand out to pick Bulma up he felt the older Saiyan's ki spike almost painfully.

A low rumble stilled his approach, and he raised his eyes from the ground to meet the deep brown irises of the elder Saiyan male. The two were once again inches apart, but the glare down was the most intense, and Goku was forced to look away. Goku swallowed the large lump that was forming in his throat, and took two generous steps back as Vegeta flexed and hunkered over Bulma's shaking form protectively; unintentionally dripping blood all over her blue hair and pale skin as he held her against his chest; slightly angled away from Goku in a protective manner. It didn't take a rocket scientist to see that Vegeta wasn't going to let him anywhere near Bulma.

"Kakkarot, if you come any closer, so help me, I'll soak the earth with your guts!" Vegeta whispered on a growl. His eyes were burning with the promise of death, and something much more primal.

Goku nodded his head once in understanding. He hadn't been sure before, but now he was. Vegeta had staked his claim on his little blue haired friend, and Goku would be damned of he didn't try to intervene. He wanted Trunks to be born, but he wasn't sure he wanted his friend to suffer. Trunks had indicated that their relationship was a "passion sort of thing", and he knew that Bulma needed the type of relationship that lasted; not just a fling. At least he knew she would be safe this time around; Vegeta seemed to be more protective than aggressive toward her. That was more than he could say for Yaumcha. He just hoped that this time line would be different. Maybe Vegeta would actually be able to care for Bulma the way she needed, but he wasn't about to get his hopes up. She'd been there to pick up the pieces when his life had shattered before, and he'd always be there to pick her up when she fell. He just hoped that Vegeta would be the one to take up the mantle this time around.

He let out a little chuckle and smirked at the older male as he gestured toward Bulma with his head.

'You take care of her Vegeta. She's like family to me, and if anything happens to her I'll come looking for you personally.' Goku warned telepathically. He wasn't about to cave. He'd made his point, and Vegeta understood. He'd taken things to the next level, and Goku was certain that it wouldn't be long before Vegeta passed him by in strength. He just hoped that when that time came Vegeta's priorities would be different.

The look he received was an incredulous one, and Goku nearly laughed as he watched the prince struggle to find a voice for his complete astonishment.

'You're the stupid fuck that hit her! What right do you have threatening me and calling my honor into question? You third class dog! I should have killed you when I had the chance.' Vegeta growled mentally as he gently stroked Bulma's blue hair absently before resituating her in his arms; cradling her unconscious form like a baby against his chest.

"Hn. Tell Bulma, I'm sorry I hit her. It truly was an accident. I'll tell everyone the party is off." Was all Goku said before putting two fingers to his head and vanishing from sight. He could always talk to her later. It wasn't like she'd never been accidentally struck before; it was one of the many hazards of being around warriors all the time. He was just glad she was so sturdy for a human.

Vegeta stared at the spot his rival once occupied for a few seconds; almost forgetting about the feather light woman in his arms. Her sudden whimper drew his immediate attention, and he darted his eyes down to her.

"Woman?" Vegeta questioned as he nudged her forehead with his jaw; indicating that he wanted her to look at him.

Bulma raised her head, and could barely make out what Vegeta was saying from the ringing in her ears, and her blurred vision. Goku had really gotten her good on that one. She'd have to remember not to try that method ever again. What had she been thinking? Oh, wait, she hadn't.

"I'm ok Vegeta. He just knocked me senseless that's all. Give me a few hours and a few aspirin and I'll be good as new." Bulma assured him as she attempted to remove herself from his grasp. It wasn't like she'd never been struck by a man with super human strength. She'd dealt with worse on more than one occasion with Yaumcha. She'd have to really give Goku the what for when she was better.

Vegeta stiffened, and pulled Bulma closer when she tried to get to her feet, and turned sharply on his heel before striding toward her back door. He wasn't taking any chances. He wasn't sure about the humans condition, and wasn't sure she was really ok. He had to make sure.

"Woman, you are going to medical to get checked out. How do I contact that old man you call a father?" Vegeta grumbled as he used his massive shoulder to push the door in.

Bulma rolled her eyes, but remained silent as she heard the bolt break, and the door cave in. She had the money to fix it anyway. Her head and face hurt her too bad for her to really care at that point. She could hear the startled gasps from Yaumcha and Candy, and the warning snarl that ripped through Vegeta's chest when Yaumcha tried to question the surly Saiyan about what had happened. She allowed her head to loll to the side as she tried to fix her gaze on something solid. She was pretty sure that she had a concussion because she was tired. She was fighting sleep, but losing. She fisted her hand against Vegeta's chest as he carried her down the long corridors toward the medical wing, and could feel the wetness of his blood against her body, and she grunted.

Vegeta heard her little grunt and felt her hand fist against his chest. He cast his eyes downward and could easily guess what her problem was. She was covered in his blood, and it was currently seeping into her clothing, staining her porcelain skin, and matting her sterling blue hair. He gently snuffed against her hair and mumbled something under his breath.

"Vegeta, really, you're in worse shape than I am. I mean, look at you! You weren't completely healed to begin with, and now you look like you took a roll in a glass bed! Honestly, I'm ok. You need to put me down so I can tend to you before you bleed out all over my floor." Bulma argued as she watched the red rivulets wind down his face from his hair, his chest and arms. She could actually feel the little shards against her, and cringed at the thought that they were being ground deeper into his skin by her body.

Vegeta remained silent, and simply continued his determined march until he reached the door. He used his shoulder to hit the pad next to the door used for emergency entry, and after the doors slid open strode through toward one of the gurneys. He set Bulma down, and turned toward the intercom. He stared at it in utter confusion. The scrawling was in a language he had yet to master since coming to reside on the shit hole planet, and the intercom was to say the least complex. He'd have to figure it out sometime.

Bulma could see him work his jaw as he studied the intercom. His jaw muscles clenching as he tried to figure it out. She suppressed a tiny giggle for her heads sake, and gingerly stood to her wobbly legs. She definitely had a concussion, of that she was certain, but she knew that was the least of her worries at the moment. She slowly and carefully made her way to Vegeta's side, and placed her had gently on his arm; indicating that he should step aside.

Vegeta grunted in response, but granted the little blue female room to utilize the communication device. He watched her with rapt fascination as she punched in a few numbers and hit the large long button and held it to talk.

"Hey, dad? You in there?" Bulma asked as she let up on the button.

A few silent seconds, and a loud noise could be heard in the background precluding her father's tired voice.

"Ya. Do you need something? Why are you in medical?" Her father's voice changed from tired to alert and concerned in a heartbeat, and she smiled affectionately.

"Well, ya know how it goes. Goku and Vegeta got into a bit of a scrap on the lawn and I got tangled up in the madness. I'm ok, probably just a concussion and a few bruises, but Vegeta here is insisting that I get checked despite his current condition. Seriously dad, can you just come up here?" Bulma groaned as she felt the tell tale throbbing behind her eyes and at the base of her skull signaling that she was about to endure one of the world's worst migraines.

"Be right there." The doctor, Marshal Briefs said before cutting the call.

Bulma slumped against the intercom, and turned her head to stare at her surly companion. He was currently biting on his arm trying to dislodge a few pieces of glass, and she was surprised when he actually succeeded in his mission. She grimaced, and tapped his arm when he spat the pieces on her floor, coating it in blood, and pointed to the trash bin to his left. He blinked once at her, and went back to work. It seemed to Bulma that Vegeta was somewhat of an expert in field medicine. She guessed he had to be living under Frieza. She highly doubted that Frieza gave two shits about his men and Vegeta was, from what she was told, not at all on Frieza's good minion list.

Both occupants' eyes darted to the door when they heard footsteps halt just outside. Marshal Briefs strode in wearing nothing more than his work pants and shoes. He was covered in sweat, ash, and pieces of metal, and Bulma smiled as she watched her father immediately head to the sink for a good washing before tending to their wounds. He'd shaved his moustache off, and had recently gotten his hair cut. Her lip twitched before she nearly collapsed in full blown laughter.

"What the hell happened to you?" Bulma asked as she retrieved a lab coat from one of the many drawers, and came up alongside her father, gesturing to his face and head. He turned to her after cleansing himself, and accepted the coat; shrugging into it with a grunt of affirmation.

"My normal barber was on vacation, and your mother insisted that I go to her salon. The fag decided that I needed a more "modern" look, and before I knew what was happening… this!" He growled gesturing to his clean shaven face and the stylish fohawk on his head. To say he was pissed would be an understatement. He'd briefly glanced at the man crouched in the corner chewing on his arm, and felt the immediate need to put the boy in his place, but refrained on account of his self preservation. He'd learned not to take his frustration out on others a long time ago.

"Ok, so tell me, what happened?" Dr. Briefs grumbled as he watched his daughter sit on the gurney. He pulled a flashlight off the metal table and checked her pupils. He then felt around her neck, and shoulders. He checked and cleaned her cuts, and gave her a chaste kiss on the forehead before turning away.

"Looks like you were right Bulma. You have a pretty bad concussion. I trust you know how to handle that." He smirked as he turned to cast a knowing glance her way. She was an adventurous girl, and had sustained the same injury before without the help of her burly friends. He laughed out loud when she blushed, and humphed irritated.

"Whatever dad, just check Vegeta now before he gnaws his other arm off." Bulma said as she strode over to the wounded male and pulled his forearm from his face with a scolding look.

Vegeta glared right back at her and bared his bloody canines. He was genuinely surprised when she rolled her eyes, ignoring his reaction, and simply pulled him toward the bed where she'd been sitting. He allowed her to push him down once more, and watched hesitantly as Dr. Briefs prepped a needle.

"What is that old man?" Vegeta ground out as the old male approached, brandishing the clear liquid contained in a medical syringe. He wasn't too sure about the look the Dr. was giving him, and didn't relish the idea of having a foreign substance injected into his body.

"It's a tetanus shot. I'm not completely sure your Saiyan physiology is 100% immune to any and all of earth's ailments so it is best to be safe." Dr. Briefs said as he motioned for Vegeta to stay still.

Vegeta cast Bulma a questioning glance, and she smiled reassuringly while nodding her head. He sighed, and sat motionless as the doctor administered his drug. He hated the feeling of the cold liquid entering his system, but didn't mind too much when he felt the woman's tiny hand over his arm; rubbing it gently where he'd been punctured to ease the ache.

"It will probably be sore for a while, but that's normal. The shot is injected into your muscle so it may be annoying." She explained. The last thing she needed was Vegeta freaking out because his arm hurt and was useless for a few days.

"Ok, now the fun part." Dr. Briefs said sarcastically as he brought out a pair of tweezers, some gauze, needle and surgical thread, and a bottle of alcohol and gave Vegeta a good long look. He wanted to make sure the Saiyan knew he wasn't going to tolerate any reactions while attempting to dislodge the shards that littered his head and torso. His left eye twitched as he turned toward the tiny table to retrieve the tweezers and a cloth to soak up the blood. It was like he was in the military all over again.

Vegeta glared at the older man, but something about the admonishing/warning glare the doctor gave him stilled his anger, and caused his respect for the old man to increase, if ever so slightly. It seemed that he'd underestimated the older man. He cocked his head to the side as he regarded the man coolly. He took the opportunity to really study the older male. It was then he recognized the familiar look on the man's face. The females sire had seen battle, had seen death, and a shit ton of other atrocities; same as he had. It had been hard to see it before with that long hair and moustache, but with the nearly military style cut, clean shaven face, and military straight posture, it was almost beyond Vegeta how the older male had survived. How he had become so, tame.

He looked at Bulma then her father who was angrily threading the curved suture needle. The older male was fairly muscular for a scientist, and he'd noticed quite a few scars littering the man's torso through his open lab coat. He was suddenly curious. There seemed to be more to the older male than what he let on. His daughter was his spitting image, and he could see where she got her temper from. However, she hadn't inherited his stoic demeanor; something Vegeta admired the man for.

"Alright, now sit still. I doubt I need to explain to you how this needs to go." Dr. Briefs said as he gave Vegeta another warning look.

Vegeta shot a glare toward the blue haired woman who was stifling a giggle as she sat patiently watching the goings on; swinging her legs back and forth over the edge of the gurney she sat on.

"Well, I thought you said you'd be fine in a few hours. It looks like Kakkarot knocked you back a few years. You're acting like a five year old." Vegeta scolded as he snarled at her. He hated being patronized and mocked.

"Now, now you two; be still. This is why I never had two children. Too many headaches." Dr. Briefs grumbled as he began the tedious task of removing the shards from Vegeta's person.

Vegeta sat patiently as Dr. Briefs' steady old hands quickly and painlessly moved across his flesh. He was surprised at how efficient and quick the man moved. He was grateful; he wasn't very patient about sitting still while being treated. Had the humans been in possession of a healing chamber the glass would have fallen out as his skin healed. However, he was surprised that he didn't seem to mind the older male. He had the same calming demeanor his daughter possessed, another similarity between the two.

Dr. Briefs smirked from under his glasses and adjusted them on his nose as he concentrated on the task at hand. He could feel Vegeta's nose against the top of his head, and the subtle move of his lavender hair as the Saiyan male scented him. He'd heard about the Saiyan's strange behavior from his daughter, and was grateful for her childhood journals. She'd taken thorough notes of Goku's odd behavior as a child, and he'd managed to figure out that most were due to his being from a different race/culture.

Bulma watched as Vegeta scented her father, and snorted. He pulled his head back sharply, and made a disgusted face before turning his head and sneezing. He then turned back toward her father and glared at the top of his head accusingly. She let out a tiny giggle, and tried to muffle it behind her hand. She was grateful that Vegeta seemed to tolerate her father. It sort of endeared him more to her. She loved her father, and no matter what; if someone didn't like her father they might as well not like her. Her family was very tight knit, but she and her father shared a special bond. She was truly a daddy's girl.

"Sorry about that, my boy. I should have warned you I'm a smoker." Dr. Briefs chuckled as he straightened; reaching out with the wet rag to clean off the residual blood from a rather nasty gash in Vegeta's side before applying a dab of iodine, and a gauze bandage. He'd stitched and bandaged it, and hoped that the larger gauge dissolving stitches he'd used would hold in the Saiyan's tough skin.

"Hn." Vegeta snorted as he turned his head away, and stared at the opposite wall as if disinterested in what he had to say, but his tail gave him away. As it twitched lazily against the wall both father and daughter could tell he was rather comfortable.

"Alright. Those stitches should hold up under the gravity you use, but be careful. The added pressure could cause them to pop if you aren't careful of your movements. Just be conscious of yourself." Dr. Briefs said as he cleaned up his work station, tossed the garbage, and leaned against the counter with his arms crossed.

A comfortable silence settled on the three as Vegeta deftly tested his body, and noted the stretch and pull of the various areas that were stitched. When he was satisfied he turned toward the Dr. and nodded his thanks. Vegeta turned toward Bulma and cocked his head questioningly.

Bulma rolled her eyes and threw her head. Had she not had the world's worst head ache she would have smacked her forehead.

"I almost forgot. We never fed you." Bulma said apologetically.

Vegeta's nose wrinkled in agitation. "I'm not your lazy ass dog. Don't ever refer to me that way." He growled warningly as he straightened and leaned toward her threateningly. Despite having been treated for his injuries from the earlier scuffle he still had some fight in him.

Dr. Briefs put a hand on Vegeta's shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze.

"Let it be boy." Dr. Briefs laughed. "Bulma dear, you know what to do about your head. Should I ask your mother to wake you periodically throughout the night or should I?"

Vegeta wrinkled his nose at the absurd notion. Why would she need waking for a minor bump to the head?

"Sure dad. I'd much prefer you do it. You're easier to wake up to." Bulma chuckled as she leaned up and placed a quick peck against the old man's cheek, and watched him disappear from the room; no doubt back to his lab.

Bulma turned toward Vegeta and after hefting a sigh, motioned for him to follow her as she exited out the other set of doors toward the kitchen. She was relieved when she felt the familiar pressure of Vegeta's tail around her wrist, and casually continued on her path through the house.

"Why is it necessary for you to be awakened throughout the night?"

Bulma craned her neck slightly to look at Vegeta funny.

"You mean you don't? Uh, well human's can actually die or have severe brain trauma when they suffer a concussion. One of the first signs of a concussion is that the person wants to go to sleep. It is best to keep the sufferer awake or wake them up periodically to check on them. Sometimes a sufferer may go to sleep, and just… not wake up." Bulma said casually as she entered the kitchen and headed toward the fridge to prepare something for dinner. Once in the kitchen he slowly released her wrist from his tails grip, and allowed it to sway behind him as he thought.

Vegeta watched in silence as the little female moved about the kitchen gathering all the ingredients she needed for whatever she was making. Somehow, her little speech had caused his stomach to clench, and he frowned in concern as he cocked his head and observed her.

'She doesn't look like she could die? She looks fine, a little tired, but…' Suddenly his train of though stalled, and he immediately stood ramrod straight. He paid extra close attention to her ki, and the life force she was emanating. He scented her, and completely tuned into her. He snorted when he picked up the scent of his blood mingled with her scent, and it caused his insides to stir. He shook the roving thoughts from his head for more productive ones. If something happened to her he'd never get his GR repaired.

"Here ya go Vegeta! Careful it's still hot." Bulma said as she placed a heaping plate of spaghetti and meatballs in front of him while taking a seat across from him with her own smaller plate. He looked from his plate to her, and back before digging in.

Bulma sat shocked. 'That's the first time he's eaten anything without watching me eat first. Hn, maybe he's finally getting it?' Bulma smiled as she dug into her own pile, trying desperately to stay awake. It was bad enough that it was almost bed time, but to add a concussion to the mix was just cruel. Now she wasn't going to get a good night sleep. She sighed, and finished her meal quickly; not waiting for Vegeta to be done with his massive portion. She dumped her dishes in the sink, and bade her male companion a good night.

"Hm." Was all the reply she got, and she barely noted the slight agitation in his voice.

Vegeta sat at the table staring at where Bulma had just been. He slowly set his fork down, and frowned. She didn't usually leave him to his own vices like that; especially during meals. He growled testily and shoved the half eaten plate away from him, and stood to his feet. Suddenly he wasn't so hungry.

He silently made his way to his room, and noted the sound of the shower running. Apparently she figured out she'd been covered in blood, and didn't want to go to bed dirty. He smirked as the memory of their mingled scents tingled the inside of his nose. He'd rather liked that combination, and couldn't help but wonder what other smells they could create.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL!?!?!" He raged in his room as he registered the thought. That female was human; not worthy of his affections let alone his mingled scent. He growled in frustration as he whipped his clothing off, and slid between the sheets. He forcefully pulled his pillow over his head to drown out the sound of running water, and the images that would create, and fell into a restless sleep.

About an hour later Bulma emerged from the hall bathroom freshly bathed. She was wearing her comfy black and red tekken pj pants, and her black tank top. If anything she wanted to be comfortable. Her head was throbbing worse than before, and she felt dizzy. Lights and sounds were a terrible bother, and she knew that she had to try and sleep it off; despite the hourly waking she was going to be receiving. She shuffled her way to her room, and shut her door before easing herself down into her bed; snuggling up with her nice warn blankets.

It didn't take her more than a few minutes before sleep claimed her, and she was tossed into a dreamless state.

A few hours passed by. Vegeta gnashed his teeth at an invisible opponent, and fisted his hands into the sheets. His thrashings were what woke him as he fell from his bed to the floor in a graceless heap of pillows, sheets, and limbs. He rose with a start, and with wild eyes, and a heaving chest took in his surroundings. His breathing evened out as he was brought to the present, and shuddered at the memories his mind had conjured as he slept.

'Fucking Frieza.' He thought as he recalled the humiliation he'd been forced to endure. If the beatings weren't bad enough. He growled as he phased into his bathroom and promptly brought up into the toilet. He wretched a few times, and continued to dry heave as the thoughts swarmed his mind, and caused gut wrenching dry heaves to wrack his body. Tiny specks of blood tainted the water, and he lunged for the tub, and turned on the water. He downed it in huge gulps, and promptly threw the water back up into the tub. He flicked the handle, and the water shut off, but he still hung from the side as he tried to get a hold of his mind and body.

He'd never told anyone of his experiences with Frieza, and never planned to. That was something he had and would once again take to his grave. He growled and wiped his mouth clean and brushed his teeth to rid himself from the terrible taste. He spat out the foam, and rinsed his mouth. As he was about to exit the bathroom he paused. He placed both hands on the side of the sink, and stared at his reflection in the mirror. He was bloodied, and bruised. He had stitches, bandages and butterfly strips all over him, and he thought he looked more like a train wreck than a prince. He sneered at his reflection, and stormed out of the bathroom.

'What am I now? I'm nothing, and that blasted third class fool thinks he has the right to come here and threaten me in my…' His eyes widened. He was about to stake claim to the compound and those that resided in it. He almost called the compound his home. He roared and tore at his hair. His mind was turning on him and he couldn't even stop it.

Vegeta rounded, and threw open his door, and stormed down the stairs intent on training, but paused halfway down and gnashed his teeth in annoyance. He couldn't train yet. He knew it, and his body knew it. He was just about to head back to his room when a sudden thought struck him. He scented the area, and realized that none of the briefs had traveled the hall since Bulma and he had retired to their sleeping chambers. That meant, her father had forgotten to check up on her.

His eye twitched in irritation, and something else that he couldn't place. He shrugged his shoulders as if to shrug off the nagging feeling to check on her himself, but her words once again echoed in the back of his mind.

"Sometimes a sufferer may go to sleep, and just… not wake up."

He growled as those words played in his head, and his feet carried him to her door against his will. If the woman wasn't strong enough to deal with a little head injury then she deserved what she got.

'You promised to protect her.'

The thought came unbidden to his mind, and his face paled. He had promised hadn't he; on his honor even. He hadn't upheld his end of the agreement, and had on more than one occasion failed to prevent her from being harmed. His shoulders slumped as a ragged sigh escaped his lips.

Slowly he opened the woman's door, and peered inside. There she was, curled on her side; one arm resting against her head in a protective manner as if to ward off anything lest it cause her more harm. He frowned at the thought of her being forced to protect herself from anything. He was here, and that was his duty. He quietly approached her bed, and crouched by her side. He placed his face inches from her, and was grateful for her tiny puffs of breath that fanned across his eyelashes. He closed his eyes, and reached out with his tail to stroke the underside of the arm above her head.

"Wake up woman." Vegeta gruffly ordered as he gently reached out to shake her with his large hand. He waited for what felt like hours until he heard her breath hitch, and saw her blue eyes crack open to stare at him from under her arm. She looked miserable.

"Mmmmhhh. Vegeta. What the hell? I was trying to sleep." She grumbled sleepily, and it was apparent that she was in a great deal of pain.

"Your father forgot to check on you." Vegeta stated quickly trying to explain his compromising position. He hated being forced to humiliate himself because of a foolishly made promise. God he hated being honorable. It was too damned hard.

Bulma didn't seem to be in the mind to care, as she rolled over away from him, and attempted to find a comfortable way to lay her head. She groaned irritably once before curling into a ball; pulling the covers up to her chin, and burrowing into her pillow.

Vegeta cocked his head to the side, and regarded her silently. He wasn't sure how to deal with her reaction, but was pretty sure it wasn't what her sire would have accepted. Sure she was alive, but something seemed off about her. He reached out, and gently tugged her comforter like he'd done before just to get a rise out of her, and was rewarded by her little hand snaking out from under the thick duvet to pull it back where it belonged. This was also not a good sign. She was way too passive.

"Quit Vegeta. My head is throbbing, and I really want to sleep this off." Bulma grumbled as she rolled over to face him; body still encased in the covers. She reached out, and shoved her palm against his face, and was rewarded by feeling his head move out of her reach. She really wanted to sleep.

Vegeta chuckled to himself as he felt her hand against his face, and felt her trying to shove him away. He obliged her only till he was out of her reach, but he remained at her bedside. Something was pulling him in, and he wasn't quite ready to let her be. Her ki was fluctuating unusually, and he wasn't sure he felt comfortable leaving her to sleep the hours away till sunrise by herself. His eyes scanned her room until they fell on the beanbag in the corner by her bed. He could smell Kakkarot's lingering scent on it, and without a second thought; plopped himself into it, and made himself comfortable. The thought that he was scent marking her room barely even reaching his consciousness as he used his feet to pull himself and the bag closer to her bedside. He knew she wasn't feeling well when the sound didn't even cause her to stir.

He shut his eyes and curled his tail against his abs; the tip flicking across the bulging muscles softly in content as he listened to the even rhythm of her breathing. He'd have to wake her again in a couple hours, but he was content knowing that she was for the time being safe under his watchfulness. His nocturnal eyes scanned her room for any possible threat out of habit, and once he'd determined the area safe; settled himself further into the bag, and laid his head back to rest.

Bulma could hear Vegeta make himself comfortable in her bean bag, and a soft smile graced her lips. She couldn't help the swelling in her chest as she heard him pull himself closer to her side. She lay still for a long while before sleep once again claimed her. No matter how interesting Vegeta's presence could be; her throbbing head took priority.

Nearly two and a half hours later, Bulma woke to the feeling of something warm against the side of her face, and felt her hair being brushed from her forehead. She slowly opened her eyes, and was met with a pair of deep brown.

Vegeta's mouth was set in a firm line, and she could tell he was sensing her ki. The slight twitch of his nose told her he was also scenting her. Despite his attentiveness, and his unusually gentle manner; she was still a little put out at being awakened at such an early hour. She was not a morning person.

"MMMMMM" Bulma moaned as she pushed his hand away once again. However, she noticed that her head wasn't hurting her as bad as it was before.

'He didn't just do that.' She thought as she registered a warmth leaving her body that she'd only felt once before. She regarded Vegeta strangely. He'd given her some of his ki to aid her in her healing process. Why, was beyond her.

He was still perched in her bean bag, and was leaning forward with his weight resting on his elbow while his other arm lay gently across her body as he stared at her. He looked tired, and as she really looked at him she could see all the wear his years of hardships had wrought upon his body, yet, despite it all he still retained his regal and handsome visage. She leaned herself closer to where he was resting next to her and laid her head on his folded arm and stared at his profile. She smiled when his eye drifted her way, and he nuzzled her head with his own. She liked this side of him. It was hard to think of him as the same heartless bastard that had caused so much pain and suffering when he was being so gentle. She also assumed that was what made him so dangerous. He could turn on you at the drop of a hat.

"Mrrrraaaahhhhh"

Bulma shut her eyes, and smiled softly as she listened to Vegeta's purr. She would never tire of it, and the vibrations coming from his body soothed her. She gently raised her hand to rest on his arm that was draped protectively across her side, and felt the muscles twitch. He stopped his purring, and she frowned as he gently pulled himself from her, and leaned back heavily into the bean bag. She watched as he ran a gloveless hand across his face, and yawned wide, his canines showing feraly, before settling his tired gaze on her. He looked like a worn out lion.

"How long must I continue to wake you woman? Is there a certain timeframe?" He grumbled in a gravelly voice thick with exhaustion.

Bulma smiled sympathetically. "Vegeta, you should get yourself some sleep. I should be fine. My head doesn't hurt anymore."

She didn't miss the look that flashed in his eyes, and sighed. She slowly slid her body across the bed till she was all the way on the other side. She patted the place where she had once laid.

Vegeta cocked his head, and cast Bulma a weary look before heaving a deep sigh of resignation, and slowly crawling onto the plush feather top mattress. He bodily flopped face down into the bed, and growled into the pillow. He snatched the thing up, and balled it between his arms, and under his head; burying his face into its softness. He turned his face from her to indicate his desire to sleep, and that talking was not going to happen. The damned woman was going to be his end. How did he keep getting himself into these awkward situations with her? He inhaled deep, and held her scent for a second before huffing, and shutting his eyes to sleep. He was almost completely out when his subconscious felt the woman moving closer to his side of the bed.

'WHAT THE!?!?!'

His eyes suddenly snapped open when he felt her small frame against his side, and nearly shot out of the bed when her cold feet came in contact with his calves. He quickly jerked his body away, and nearly flew out of the bed. He turned angry eyes toward her curled form, and was surprised to see her staring up at him innocently; trying to fight off a small smile.

Vegeta growled irritably as he moved back toward her, and gave her a scathing look as he propped himself up on his elbows; wary of lying back down.

Bulma blushed, and ruffled his hair before she rolled over to her back and wiggled herself under his arm to stare at him fondly.

"You're a great friend, Vegeta, you know that right?" She said softly; her eyes slowly slipping closed with fatigue.

Vegeta shifted his hand from under the pillow, and gently placed it under Bulma's head to cradle it in his palm. He massaged her head softly as he stared straight ahead; not acknowledging her last statement. It wasn't that he didn't care for her welfare, and he wasn't attracted to her, but her most recent attentions and behaviors were strikingly Saiyan. He was confused, and he feared the times he forgot himself around her. She was not a Saiyan no matter how she acted. She wasn't a Saiyan. He frowned as he contemplated their previous interactions. He hadn't meant to give her the wrong idea, but apparently he had. He didn't want her as a mate. An ally or friend, but not a mate. He didn't know how to be with a female in that way. He'd never tried or really had the desire to since Frieza had gotten to him. The memories were all too real. He'd tried bedding a female once, but ended up killing her when his mind flashed back to the disgrace he'd suffered under Frieza's hand.

His body shivered slightly at the memory, and he screwed his eyes shut against them. He hated how even in death the homosexual lizard still controlled him.

Bulma's soft smile fell slightly as she regarded his troubled expression. She felt a sinking in her stomach as his frown morphed into a scowl, and she knew something had gotten to him. She wasn't unfamiliar with warriors who suffered from flashbacks of their war times. Her granddad had many triggers, and she recalled a time in the mall during Christmas shopping he'd heard a balloon pop, and immediately crawled under a bench screaming for everyone to get down. She'd only been eight at the time, and was extremely embarrassed, but once she was old enough to understand; she loved her granddad more than ever. He'd sacrificed so much. She only wished she'd gotten more time with the man.

"Hey, you in there? Vegeta, planet earth to planet Vegeta! Come one space boy; I'm the one who's supposed to get that far off visionary look not you." Bulma chuckled as she laid her hand against the side of his face in an effort to draw him in from his thoughts. She knew his mind was a dangerous place, and was afraid to let him muck around in there unchecked for too long.

Her delicate palm against his cold face drew his attention, and he shook his head roughly trying to shake away the jumbled thoughts. He stared down at her with an expression he hoped she couldn't read. He didn't feel like being this close to her. Something about his earlier dream, and his current position had him once again feeling out of sorts. He let out a sound that was more of a growl than a sigh as he turned his face away from hers; noting as her hand gently fell away. He was grateful that she at least seemed to understand some of his non verbal cues.

Bulma could tell that Vegeta needed his space. She'd felt his body tense up when she'd touched his face, and when he sighed and turned away she wasn't offended. She knew that was his nice way of asking her to let him be.

"Good night Vegeta." She said as she wriggled her body from under his, and returned to her side of the bed. She rolled on her side facing away from him, and was extremely grateful to Kami when she felt him lie back down. She chanced a peek over her shoulder, and frowned sadly as she took in his appearance.

Vegeta was lying face down, the billow was balled under his head and he had his arms wrapped around it as if someone may try to snatch it from him. His brows were creased in angst, and his eyes were shut tight. She could feel the covers move as the tip of his tail lashed out, and she had to suppress the desire she had to try and sooth his pain away. She merely reached behind her, and pulled the covers up till they covered his back, and returned to her side to try and sleep.

Vegeta lay silent and still. He tucked his tail between his legs protectively, and wrapped it around his left thigh. He knew he should probably head back to his room in case he had a nightmare. He didn't want the woman to worry, but something about her presence soothed him; so he remained. He sensed her ki, and knew she was once again fast asleep, and her slow even breathing could attest to the fact. Slowly he allowed his muscles to relax, and he spread his legs slightly till his calf came in contact with her leg. He didn't need her comfort, but the physical proof that she was there set his mind at ease, and he was able to fall into a dreamless sleep.

Neither one knowing what the morning would bring; neither caring. Sleep was a necessity shared by the two races, and was a necessity that claimed them both.

Author's Note: GOD! I hate this chapter. I just couldn't write it the way I wanted to. My mind has been so jumbled that I can't even think, and my mom is getting worse. I've been using this as a distraction, but it's not working out too well. I hope you like it, but I'm not going to be surprised if you don't.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: REPO MAN

Author's Note: Ya, so I took ideas from this movie, and I must add the standard disclaimer that I don't own the movie or DBZ; unfortunately. I fell in love with the idea from the movie, and I really encourage all of you to watch Repo, the genetic opera. You won't be disappointed, but it is gory. My husband even likes it. Anyway, for those of you who left me so many wonderful comments; thanks for your reviews and prayers. ^_^

He stirred agitated as his consciousness registered a flashing light from under heavy lids. It was as if someone was trying to play mores code on his eyelids with a flashlight.

"Hn. Grrrr." Vegeta grumbled. He was definitely not a morning person, worse; he wasn't one to be pleasant when woken in the middle of the night. Whoever was pestering him must have had a death wish.

Vegeta cracked an eye, and allowed it time to focus. He squinted and huffed his irritation when the same light glinted in his eye; momentarily blinding him. He was deftly aware of a soft tapping sound, but thought nothing more through the foggy haze of sleep. He propped his upper torso up on his elbows, and when he regained his eyesight let out a quite startle gasp.

"What the hell?" He whispered, still aware of the sleeping woman by his side. He sweat dropped, and couldn't help the tremor that shook his tail as it subconsciously wrapped itself around the female's thigh as an anchor. For sitting beside the woman's bed in her lounge chair was her father, and gently clutched in his right hand was a rather well crafted samurai sword. His memory was nearly as sharp as the blade in the old man's hands, and his tail tightened its grip on Bulma's thigh. It was one of those swords that had been used to amputate his tail during his first battle on earth, and he was becoming increasingly nervous with every soft tap, tap, tap the metal made against the old man's leg.

Dr. Marshal Briefs was sprawled in the lounge chair; his lit cigarette's red tip the only light in the room. His samurai sword clutched in his right hand lay unsheathed across his knees, tapping, just tapping, against his left knee as he glared at the young Saiyan that lie next to his daughter.

Vegeta said nothing as he observed the older male, and for the first time in his life since his childhood, felt the fear only a father could envoke. He swallowed thick. The look in the old man's eyes was an all too familiar one, and he was forced to wonder just where, who, why, and how the older man acquired that look, or if it was just a father thing.

Dr. Briefs' glared the boy down as he raised his left hand to the cigarette, took a full drag, then removed the stick to exhale the toxic smoke into the air. He smirked at the boy's disgusted face when the smoke wound its way toward him. He didn't say a word, didn't need to. The glare said all; it was a threat, and he knew damn well the boy was reading him loud and clear. The boy looked like a teenage boy who'd just got caught with a baggie of weed. He had him where he wanted him. After placing the cigarette back between his lips he raised the tip of his sword; the hand holding the blade not leaving its perch on his knee.

Vegeta's eyes widened as the Dr. moved the blade toward the bed, and he momentarily shifted his gaze to the sword before returning to the Dr.'s, then shifting back toward the ever approaching blade.

Swish

Vegeta rolled to his side, and raised his left arm; ready to defend himself from the woman's crazy father as the blade disappeared under the comforter and pulled them back far enough to show his shorts. When the old man withdrew his blade, returned to his lounging position in the chair, and repeated his earlier motions with his cigarette, while tapping the blade against his leg rhythmically once more, he reached down and pulled the comforter back over his hips. As he regarded the older male he noticed the released tension, and had the sneaking suspicion things wouldn't have ended so calmly had the old man found him with his pants off.

"So, the question still remains. What are you doing in here?" Dr. Briefs asked after a long drawn out silence. He quirked an eyebrow; his cigarette bobbing as he spoke.

Vegeta's respect for the old male had increased down in the medical bay, but now that he'd seen this side of the man he had a more healthy respect for him. He could definitely see the woman in his eyes. However, this man had seen death, and lots of it. It wasn't surprising given the slathering of scars that littered the older man's bare chest. He had to hand it to him; had Vegeta been any human male, he might have shit himself upon waking.

"I thought it was agreed upon that you were to check her?" Vegeta questioned in a hushed tone as he gestured to his side where the woman slept soundly; her back to the two males with her pillow over her head.

The doctor took another long drag from his cigarette before squelching the flame on his pant leg, and flicking it out the open French doors. Vegeta's eyes narrowed in confusion; they hadn't been open earlier. Surely the man hadn't, he stopped his train of thought as the man broke the silence once more.

"Don't worry; I'll close them on my way out. Now, I said I would check up on her, and trust me I have been. She's had plenty enough concussions in her lifetime that I know exactly what is normal and what is not. Now, I believe it is your turn to answer my question." Dr. Briefs growled impatiently.

Vegeta's eyes narrowed, and he cast the woman laying beside him a cautious glance to make sure she was indeed, still asleep.

"I didn't smell anyone up here, and no one had entered the female's quarters since she'd retired for the night. She'd already been asleep for a couple of hours, and I felt it necessary to check up on her." Vegeta stated confidently; though he was anything but. Had the good doctor been able to see his tail; he would have seen how it was tightly wound around his daughter's thigh and fuzzed up like it'd just come out of the dryer with nervous tension.

"I see. Well, I assume I owe you thanks, but the truth of the matter is that I don't. My daughter has seen enough pain in her lifetime wrought by men sniffing around, and I want to make it perfectly clear that my daughter is outside your territory, Vegeta. So any stake you wish to lay on her will have to pass by me first. I admire your generosity, but I am her father. She has no husband, no boyfriend, and still lives under my roof; here on earth that means that I am her protector, and I will protect her from anything I can; including you." The doctor said as he leaned forward in his chair.

Vegeta's eyebrows skyrocketed. He was beyond flabbergasted. This lunatic doctor had just openly threatened him, and what was worse, put him in his place at the same time. How the old man could make him feel two inches tall was beyond him, but it astonished as well as angered him. He struggled with the urge to tuck tail and slink off to his room to lick his wounds as the primal instincts rage at him to defend his pride and prove his worth to the females sire. He had never known a race of beings whose patriarchs protected their offspring more aggressively than the human race, and he was alarmed at the devotion. Saiyan children were practically abandoned by their fathers until they were old enough to be trained, and even then they usually didn't return. The females were extremely aloof with their offspring, and would only protect them until they were capable of manipulating ki. It was a world where the strong survived, and the weak perished. This planet, and its inhabitants proved to be the absolute opposite of everything he was, and it was beginning to infuriate him. However, he was shocked to find that he wasn't angered by the male's declaration; in fact, he'd dare say he was spurred on by it. The female's sire hadn't set his sights completely against him; he'd merely issued a challenge to him. Apparently within the human culture a male needed the approval of the female's father before courting. Well, that certainly made things more interesting.

"I can assure you; I had no intentions of that nature. As it is I am here as the result of your daughters request. Had she not offered to share her sleeping quarters I would have remained elsewhere." Vegeta admitted as he gestured toward the obviously sat in beanbag chair.

Dr. Brief's eyebrows rose in surprise. He'd not thought his daughter to be so trusting, nor the young man capable of any form of chivalry. However, he'd never known the boy to be a liar; he was brutally honest, and wore the few emotions he possessed on his sleeve for the world to see. It was no hard task to determine if the boy was in a foul mood or neutral. Despite his long years of retirement, Dr. Briefs still possessed a certain set of skills that included ki detection, and some manipulation. He was no match for the young man his daughter had welcomed into their home, but he knew that the boy had to sleep sometime, just like tonight, and this little display would forever be engrained into the Saiyan's memory.

"Well, aren't you the gentleman." Dr. Briefs growled sarcastically as he stood from his chair; sheathing the sword, and returning it to his side.

"I suggest you not make this a habit, Vegeta. I think she will be fine to sleep on her own till morning. You have a bed, and I suggest you use it from now on. I don't have so many rooms for nothing." Dr. Briefs ordered as he strode through the French doors, shut and locked them; then disappeared over the railing.

Vegeta blinked rapidly for nearly thirty seconds as his mind tried to process what had just happened. He growled low in his throat as the rage set in. How dare that old man presume to have any sort of control over him? He was not nor would he ever answer to a weak little human. Despite his earlier discomfort he decided that the old male needed to know who he was trying to mess with. No one told him what to do or threatened him without consequence. He wouldn't kill the old man, no, he still needed him and his daughter for repairs and upgrades to his GR. Killing the old man would be counterproductive; he would just have to bide his time.

Vegeta sighed as he slid himself from the bed, and allowed his tail to slip between her thighs as it unwound itself. The feeling of her soft skin against his tail caused a tremor to shoot up his spine, and he licked his lips as he thought about what other appendages he might place between her shapely thighs.

'Now isn't the time. I have more important things to concern myself with; like training.' Vegeta grumbled as he gave himself a good mental shake, and ran his fingers through his unruly hair.

'Sigh, I need a good lay, that's all.' He thought annoyed as he exited silently through her bedroom door, and closed it softly behind; making sure not to disturb the sleeping woman.

He trudged the short distance to his room, and after doing a ki scan to make sure the area was safe, and that the woman's crazy father hadn't decided to hide somewhere in his room, flopped face first down onto the cold mattress. He groaned in discomfort at the crisp coldness against his skin, and the fresh linen scent that assaulted his nose. He'd never admit it to anyone, but he'd much preferred the soft warmth of the woman's bed, and her scent saturated pillow. Unbeknownst to her, he'd buried his face into it not out of comfort, but because he wanted to immerse his senses with her sweet smell and allow them to lull his whirling mind to sleep.

'Stupid bitch, everything she does is an inconvenience to me. She's nothing but trouble.' He thought bitterly as he pulled his pillow over his head and his comforter up to his waist. Saiyans weren't naturally gregarious, but he was quite the oddity among his people. He'd slit his own throat before admitting that to anyone. He'd be the biggest hypocrite to ever live. However, his father had sent him to Frieza for more than one reason. The first being that Frieza had demanded it, but the second and third were, he wanted Vegeta to have the harshest and most brutal training regime there was to ensure his alpha status, and to put it bluntly, toughen him up. As a child, he'd much preferred to laze about in the gardens or muck about in the city, and would more often than not hide from his father when it came time to train. He preferred to be around people, but not necessarily interacting with them. He just liked the ambiguity of it all. He was a face in a sea of hundreds. He didn't stand out, and no one paid him any mind as he had always been a rather shy and timid child. Unfortunately for him, his father saw these as a serious fault. Apparently he was making his father out to be the biggest laughing stock. That was how the initial rumors of him being homosexual had started out, unfortunately they had carried over to Frieza's ships, and he'd never lived it down. He assumed that was one of the many reasons he just simply stayed away from most females. Frieza saw that as prime opportunity and used it to his advantage to beat him down at every turn, break his body and mind down, and isolate him from any other being. That was also what had attracted the lizard to him. Frieza'd decided to test the theory when he was only sixteen. He could safely assume that having those kinds of things happen were not normal, and they had royally fucked him up. He had never been more paranoid. After being raped by that filthy lizard he'd completely shut down. He allowed himself to feed on the hatred inside, and used it to fuel his desires for revenge, and ultimately learned to love the destruction he caused. He also made it a point to consistently avoid contact with every living being. He hardly even spent time with the other Saiyans. He merely used them as sparring partners, and saw them as nothing more than a means to an end. He'd known they were going to die eventually; it was just a matter of when and by whose hand. However, he didn't even realize that the more time he spent alone, the colder he'd become.

'Fucking Frieza.' He thought as unpleasant memories once again churned his stomach, and he was reminded that he now lay awake with an empty belly. He growled in frustration as he looked at the clock and realized that he still had another few hours before breakfast would be ready. He refused to enter the kitchen first; he was just too damned uncomfortable around the blond haired female.

His train of thought drifted back to its prior musings as he absently wondered why he still couldn't gather the courage to simply deal with the woman. Then it hit him, and he banged his head against the headboard. He hadn't had the proper socialization as a child, and his adolescent years had been spent mostly on purging missions, and avoiding Frieza's lustful gaze, therefore he was socially backward and extremely insecure around everyone, and overly paranoid. He still felt that way to an extent, and he hated to admit that he felt the most secure when his tail was wrapped around any part of the woman's body. He was loathed to admit, but he could see the genuine concern she had for him, and her gentility put him at ease. She also seemed to understand him without him needing to explain himself, and he was extremely grateful for that level of insight. Even if she'd picked some things up from Kakkarot as a child; he was glad she had because it made him feel exceedingly more secure; something he'd never felt before in his life. Then it hit him.

"For fucks sake." He growled as he threw his comforter off, and headed for his shower. He'd spent the whole rest of the night thinking about his past, and could feel the weariness of lost sleep tugging at his eyes, and clouding his mind. Training would be a bitch later, but his thoughts once again shifted gears, and he returned to his previous thoughts.

He'd not been careful enough. Apparently he'd been a little too attentive to the female, and not even realized it. He entered the shower stall, banged his head against the cold tile, and let it stay there as his left hand reached for the knobs to set the water pressure and temp. He'd followed her around like a lost puppy, and had opened himself up. The father had noticed, and if he was aware then he was certain her other friends were. On second thought, he hadn't seen any of the other males around, and the woman's fool of an ex was too wrapped up in drooling over his whore to notice much else. It was simply Kakkarot, and the old man. However, he wondered if the female herself had any idea. He was certain she might have an inkling, but knowing her, she'd just assume it was how all Saiyan males acted. He shuddered to think she would categorize him with that third class buffoon.

He growled; unhappy with the direction his thoughts had taken, and immediately shuffled his mental deck back in order, and concentrated on the task at hand.

He finished his shower in record time, and after reentering his bedroom and whipping his towel off; made his way to his bureau to get a fresh pair of boxers.

BUZZZZ, BUZZZ, BUZZZ

"GRRRR."

CRASH!!!

Vegeta jumped back with a start, and growled angrily. The noise had come from the woman's room. She was definitely awake, and by the sound of her heavy foot falls, not at all in a pleasant mood. He smirked at the implications. Maybe he could exact a little revenge against her for the torment of the previous night. She deserved to have a taste of what he'd been put through.

Grinning wildly Vegeta reared his fist back, and gently so as not to punch a hole in the wall, but hard enough to rattle the house; punched the same spot where he assumed her alarm clock had met its end. He chuckled when a startle "Eeep" could be heard from the other side, and he grinned in triumph before donning his training shorts, and sneakers. It was an unusually warm day despite the freezing cold evening, and he decided to forgo the shirt. They tended to itch after about four hours of non-stop training. He'd have to make sure to inform the woman of his need for a different material. He then waited patiently for the female to pass by his room, and timed it just right so he whipped open his door right as she was passing by.

"AH!" Bulma screamed as she leapt to the side; fist reared back as if to strike an unknown opponent.

"You'd never get very far with that posture woman. A stiff breeze could knock you over. I thought you'd trained as a fighter." Vegeta jeered as he watched her expression morph from one of startled fear to irritation.

'Score one, Vegeta' He thought as he leaned against his doorframe, and smirked at her; his tail curing and uncurling in amusement.

Bulma's left eye twitched, but she remained silent. She was in a really bitchy mood. She'd not really gotten good sleep last night, and when she'd woken up alone to the sound of an alarm clock she'd been surprisingly dejected.

"You said you'd stay." She mumbled suddenly, and berated herself mentally for sounding so pathetic.

Vegeta's eyebrows knit together as his smirk morphed into a frown. He hadn't thought she'd pay it much mind; apparently he'd been mistaken.

"Your father came in, and I felt it best to leave." It was true, but for some reason he felt it necessary to leave out certain details of their meeting; like the way he'd threatened him with a sword.

He watched as the woman's expression shifted once more to one of confusion then understanding. He sighed mentally; she was being so much easier on him this morning than usual, and his earlier plan to piss her off faded to the back of his mind.

"Oh. So, did you two actually see each other, or did you get the hell outta dodge before he came in?" Bulma asked as they walked down the hall toward the stairs; a sly smirk playing on her lips.

Vegeta let out a harassed grunt as he wound his tail around her wrist, and debated on telling her the truth. What could it hurt?

"Actually he woke me up. He had a sword." The surly Saiyan grumbled; still not liking the fact that his sleep had been interrupted.

Bulma stopped dead in her tracks. When he turned to look at her he stifled a laugh. Her eyes were wide as saucers, and her mouth was opening and closing like a fish as her mind tried to work out some form of a reply, and her cheeks were flushing a bright red from either rage or embarrassment; he couldn't tell.

"Oh. My. Kami." She said finally, and buried her face in her hand before running it over the top of her hair that was pulled back into a messy bun.

"Vegeta, why the hell didn't you wake me up?" Bulma asked before promptly punching him in the arm after her second question left her lips.

He couldn't help the growl that escaped his lips. The punch hadn't hurt, but whenever she touched him his skin would get all tingly, and his stomach would turn, but not in a bad way. That was something he could never figure out.

"There was not need to wake you, woman. The old man felt it necessary to put things into perspective. However, I must say that the paternal instinct to protect ones offspring is unusually high in your species. I've never come across a race aside from yours where any parent would challenge or rebuke a creature that could crush them without even lifting a finger all just to protect their young. It is a very honorable trait, and despite your races extreme lack of strength, I have to acknowledge that bravery; no matter how foolish." Vegeta said as he squeezed her wrist with his tail, and urged her to continue on toward the kitchen. His nose was twitching as the smell of coffee and waffles drifted up the stairs.

Bulma was a bit taken back by his off handed compliment, and by how quick he was to defend her father's actions. When her father had pulled a sword on Yaumcha, he'd whined about it for weeks, and she liked to have killed him herself. She was a daddy's girl at best, and she knew there would be no way she could ever settle down with a man who hated her father or whom her father had not approved of. She needed there to be a level ground between the two. Her father was old fashioned yes, but he had a way of seeing through all the walls and layers people erected, and figuring out what made them tick. She respected his opinion, and after going against it and learning the hard way with Yaumcha, she wasn't taking any chances again. If her father didn't approve; the guy was toast. However, she really hadn't talked to any other males lately; she'd been too wrapped up in work, and caring for Vegeta to do much else.

"Well, gee. Thanks for being so understanding. I honestly thought you would have wanted to blast my father into dust for the impertinence." Bulma joked as the descended the stairs.

Vegeta rolled his eyes at her dramatics. He wasn't an indiscriminate killer, well, most of the time anyway. He did have the ability to show some form of restraint.

"On the contrary, your father is an elder. I was taught from an early age that elders are to be respected no matter what your rank. Only when they reach senility do we stop taking them seriously, and by then we usually just did away with them. It was more honorable to die a warrior's death than to waste away physically and mentally. Your father has done me no wrong, and I made a promise to protect you and yours while staying here, or have you forgotten that so quickly?" Vegeta rumbled softly as he angled his head toward hers, and sniffed her hair absently. He very much liked her scent.

Bulma blushed at the attention, and could understand why her father had felt the need to behave in such a manner. Vegeta was a very touchy feely individual, and it hadn't escaped her notice that it only pertained to her. Goku only acted that way around Chi Chi, and she blushed a deeper shade of red at the implications that realization brought.

'Oh my Kami! Have I been sending him the wrong messages this whole time? Oh no!' Bulma thought panicked. She'd been treating him the same way she would any of her other guy friends, but it just dawned on her that she did allow Vegeta to take quite a few more liberties than the others. She looked down at where his tail was settled around her wrist comfortably, and she glanced at his profile before stopping half way down the stairs.

When the woman stopped a second time he halted a few steps ahead of her, cast a questioning look up at her, and gave a gentle tug on her wrist. When she only took one step down he ascended the final step so they were standing at eye level, and craned his head to the side as he observed her. She was staring intently at him with a far off look that she only got when deep in thought. Her scrutiny made him uncomfortable in his own skin, and he couldn't help but look away and fidget slightly. Had he said something or done something wrong? Had he upset her by speaking the truth? He was trying his hardest to be civil, and in her words friendly, but he was finding it increasingly agitating to be standing on the staircase only to be scrutinized. He was hungry, uncomfortable, and all he wanted was to go down stairs, eat, train, and go back to sleep.

"Vegeta, may I ask you something?" Bulma said after her long stretch of silence. She could see she was making him uncomfortable, and felt it necessary to just spit it out so as to avoid any unpleasant reactions on his part. When he nodded his consent she took a deep steadying breath to calm her nerves; why was she nervous again?

"Why… why do you do that with your tail? I mean, you only do it to me, and I was just wondering why?" She asked gently so as to not startle him.

The look on Vegeta's face spoke volumes. He was blushing furiously, and a bead of sweat was starting to form on his brow, he refused to make eye contact with her, and he abruptly removed his tail from around her wrist, and let it hang between his legs; the tip twitching back and forth nervously as his fists clenched and unclenched. She need not ask any further questions; he was giving her all the answers she needed. What she was going to do about them was the biggest question.

"Oh, Vegeta." She said sympathetically. The poor man was absolutely mortified, and she could tell that it was taking all the strength in the world for him to stand rooted to his spot. She could see that he wanted nothing more than to be miles away, but the fact that he remained melted her heart all that more. It wasn't the first time she'd seen it, but it was definitely the most obvious. Vegeta was actually very easily embarrassed, and quite shy. His aggression didn't stem from a hatred for everyone; it stemmed from his insecurities and his feeling the need to protect himself. It was no wonder he acted the way he did; his life had been nothing but violence and bloodshed. She deftly recalled his not wanting to eat anything until someone else had eaten it, and smiled warmly at him. He'd changed so much since he'd first arrived, and she hadn't even realized it. She'd been holding on to her fear of him, and her unease when she should have realized that he was clinging to her for comfort and companionship because no one else besides her had ever given that to him. She felt honored in a way at the thought.

He stiffened when he felt her arms wrap around his neck, and her tiny body press against his. He knew the action from witnessing it, but he'd never really thought anyone would even dare to hug him in that way. He awkwardly placed his hands on Bulma's hips, and stood ramrod straight; vaguely sensing for the older male out of self preservation.

"Oh, come on now, I know you can hug better than that!" Bulma chided as she moved her arms from his neck to grasp a hold of his wrists to bring his large arms around her midsection. The gesture pulled him closer to her, and pressed her flush against him in an intimate way that made his stomach tie in a knot. Her arms returned to his neck, and he nearly toppled down the stairs when she buried her face in the crook of his shoulder, and she nuzzled her cheek against his neck.

Bulma smiled when she felt his arms wrap tighter around her waist, and his tail slowly slither around her thigh. She didn't miss the way it accidentally seemed to brush against her ass, but she ignored it for the time being. She was rather enjoying the feel of his arms around her, and the security it brought. Call her selfish, but she'd always longed for that feeling. She hadn't felt it with Yaumcha, and the innocently awkward way Vegeta was reacting to her affection was endearing. There was so much about him she'd yet to learn, and it drove her mad.

Bulma was pulled from her thoughts when Vegeta's chest started vibrating again as he began to purr softly into her ear. She shivered as his warm breath fanned against her neck, and she blushed. Did he even know what he was doing? She raised her eyes to regard him, and was surprised to see that he had his eyes gently closed as he enveloped her into his full embrace.

'Damn he's sexy, and damn he's a good. Who would have thought Vegeta capable of turning a girl on by simply hugging her? I must be starved for attention.' Bulma thought as she blushed against his chest. She felt his chest rise as he scented her, and prayed to Kami that he wouldn't know. She allowed her hand to travel into his hair, and gently run her nails across his scalp right next to his nape, and she was startle when he let out a low rumble of a growl, and quickly extricated himself from the embrace to stare at her.

The look in his eyes spoke volumes, and she was grateful that he was such a gentleman. She was turning him on. That was obvious by the lustful way he was staring at her, but what surprised her was that instead of insisting on more; he'd completely balked. It suddenly dawned on her that he may not completely understand his feelings, and she reached out her hand, and gently cupped the side of his face. He turned his head away from her slightly, but not enough to remove it from her palm.

"I cannot." Was his simple reply to her unspoken question, and she was surprised when he gently licked her wrist and gave it a gentle nip before turning on the stairs.

Bulma hesitated a few moments, and was surprised when he craned his head to look at her, and waited to make sure she was following. She smiled brightly at him, and extended her arm. He hadn't completely decided against her.

His eyes darted downward, and a ghost of a smile hinted at his lips as he raised his tail once again to wrap securely around her wrist; pulling her down the two steps that separated them so she was walking down beside him.

Bulma cast him a sly smirk that caught him off guard as they descended the stairs, and before they entered the kitchen she leaned up to whisper in his ear.

"No, I believe you can, that much is painfully obvious. I'm just curious as to what's stopping you?" She breathed before winking at him, and strutting into the kitchen.

'Little tease.' He thought hazily as he watched her ass sway as she walked, and had to suppress a groan of frustration. How he'd enjoyed the feel of her supple ass against his tail. He knew damn good and well she was aware of it, and the fact she hadn't berated or stopped him had given him some encouragement, but his insecurities kept pulling at the back of his mind, and he just couldn't stop the memories of his past from rearing their nasty heads when he even considered such things. He wanted her, that much was obvious, and now that she was well aware of his interest, and hadn't discouraged it, he wanted nothing more than to follow. However, he had a promise to keep, and he wouldn't be able to do that if he couldn't reach the legendary status.

'Not until I've reached my goal.' Was the thought that crossed his mind as he stood in the doorway to the kitchen and watched the woman greet her parents with a kiss to each, and then head straight for the coffee. He wouldn't break his promise; he wouldn't. He had to be strong; she wouldn't accept anything less than the best, and he was determined to give her just that. He would reach his goal, and until then the woman was off limits. The opportunity would come later, and that would give him something to look forward to once the battle was over. He just hoped that he would be able to reach his goal soon. He knew that she wouldn't be available forever, but part of him hoped she would understand; like she did with so many other things.

'One step at a time.' He growled to himself as memories came to his mind unbidden. He shook then violently from his head, and mumbled curses in his native tongue under his breath.

"Here ya go." Bulma said as she held out a steaming hot cup of coffee for him, and smiled brightly at him as he accepted it, and moved around her toward the table, brushing his tail against her leg in the process. She reached down, and ran a fingernail down its length, and shot him a wicked grin and a wink as she flipped him off and stuck her tongue out playfully.

His eyes widened, and he growled at her. Damn that wicked little chit. She was just messing with him now. He growled, and set his coffee cup on the table, and turned to face her.

"I thought we talked about that earlier woman." He challenged as he gave her a scolding look; well aware that they'd gained the attention of both her parents. He was just glad that it was their daughter behaving badly; not him.

Bulma just shot him a coy look over her shoulder as she reached around her mother and snatched a piece of bacon from the plate, and hopped up on the counter next to her while munching on it. Her mother swatted her arm for stealing the bacon, but giggle and soothed the area immediately after.

Vegeta rolled his eyes, and scoffed at her.

"How old are you woman?" He crowed as he to his seat at the table next to her father who was pretending to read his paper.

Bulma stuck her tongue out at him before hopping off the counter, and taking the stacked plates her mother handed her to carry to the table.

"Bulma, you're an adult; act like one." Her father scolded. He was rather irritated with her display. She was openly flirting with the Saiyan, and he'd just told the boy to stay away. She was not making his task an easy one. He sighed in resignation as he watched the confused and slightly hurt look pass across his daughters face. He had been too harsh.

"It's been a long night for both of us dear. I'm just not as energetic as you. I'm getting older, and need more sleep." He replied as he shot his daughter an apologetic smile, and folded his newspaper.

"Vegeta, I've completely remodeled the GR. After breakfast I can show you the different controls. It's not too far off, but the training programs are a little more intense, and I feel it would be good to let you see them before you start training again." Dr. Briefs said casually; as if nothing had happened the night before.

Vegeta smirked at the sly doctor, and nodded his head. "Fine, I guess I can put up with your old ass for a few minutes, but make it quick. I've already wasted enough time as it is." He grumbled as he remembered just how long it had been. The humans really needed to recreate his regeneration tanks.

Dr. Briefs said nothing more, and breakfast passed by uneventfully. Once the family and guest had finished, Mrs. Briefs shooed the males outside, and Bulma had decided to take the day off. Her mother had insisted they go shopping, but Bulma had other ideas. She'd been reminded of her father's certain set of skills that had been back shelved for way too long. It had become rather obvious that he needed to stretch his legs a bit.

She slowly crept down to his personal lab, and selected two items which tickled her fancy, and raced up the steps, and out the back door. She held the items tightly behind her back, and kicked the GR door with her foot as a way of knocking. She giggled when she heard Vegeta cruse, and her father's footfalls nearing the door. When the hatch fell she smiled brightly to her father and tossed one of the items at him.

Both youngsters watched as he caught the item without effort, and glared down at her admonishingly.

"You've been in my lab. How many times have I told you not to go down there by yourself? There are things down there that I don't want you to see." The old man scolded.

Bulma gave him a sheepish look before smiling brightly at her father. "I know papa, but, I just thought that after you explained the new system to Vegeta, you and I could play around in the old dojo." She asked hopefully.

Vegeta watched the exchange, and it wasn't lost on him just what the woman had clutched in her tiny hands, and the old man had draped over his shoulder. Surely she was jesting.

The doctor let out a chuckle, and adjusted his glasses on his nose before shaking his head. His wife and daughter were going to be the end of him. Both of them had him wrapped around their little fingers, and the sad part was, they knew it.

"Alright, go ahead and get changed. I'll meet you there in a few." He said finally, and laughed as he watched his daughters face light up as she turned tail, and ran back to the house.

Vegeta watched the display with mild interest, but it had slightly turned his stomach. He still wasn't accustomed to the open displays of affection that human's so easily demonstrated on a daily basis. The closest he'd gotten to a father son moment was when his father basically told him he was going to work for Frieza, and that he better shape up or just not come back at all. He sneered bitterly at the thought, and stared at the back of the older males head.

"Can we just get on with it, old man?" Vegeta growled as he snarled at the doctor.

Marshal Briefs merely cast Vegeta a harassed look before gently setting the sword down next to the open hatch, and casually strolling up to the control center in the middle of the room.

"One of these days you're going to learn to show some respect, boy, even if I have to teach you myself" The older male said, pointedly glaring at Vegeta.

He bristled at that, and growled at the old male; his tail lashing about behind him angrily.

"Was that a threat or a challenge old man?" Vegeta said as he towered over the old scientist; intentionally flexing on him. For some reason he felt the need to prove himself, and not allow the older male to cow him every time he opened his mouth.

"I guess you could consider them both, boy" Dr. Briefs growled, his anger rising at the impertinent youth. He'd been rather patient with Vegeta for Bulma's sake, but his patience was wearing thin.

"You're not my father old man so piss off." Vegeta growled, and gnashed his teeth at the old man. All he wanted to do was train in peace; he wasn't looking to harm the old man, but he'd be damned if he allowed the old man to dominate him.

Dr. Briefs saw the flash of emotion in the young Saiyan's eye, and momentarily faulted. The boy had a lot of bitterness toward his sire, and from what he was told, had good right to be. However, he wouldn't allow Vegeta to wallow in self pity. The boy had been doing that for far too long, and the he knew that all it did was hold you back.

'Kami help me.' Dr. Briefs thought as he slowly allowed his body to relax, and he summoned up his strength. It had been a long time since he'd done this.

Vegeta seethed in barely restrained anger as he watched the older male turn his back to him. The fact that the older male had shown him his back meant to the Saiyan that he didn't view Vegeta as a threat, and that, was what pushed him over the edge.

Dr. Briefs hand fisted around his sword; his eyes closed in concentration. It had been a long time since he'd held the old reverse blade in his hand, but as irony would have it, the instrument he'd used to kill would be used to instruct on this day.

Vegeta didn't even power up; he'd simply acted on instinct, and charged the older male, preparing to strike him down as he'd done with the villagers all those months ago. His instincts roaring at him to fight, but something in the back of his mind told him not to kill the old male, just yet.

SCHLING!

Vegeta was momentarily stunned as a bright flash of light crossed his vision, and the old male vanished. It wasn't until the pain set in; that he realized he'd been cut. His eyes widened, and he looked down at his chest. Blood pooled from a deep gash that started from the bottom of his left peck, and ended just below his shoulder; barely missing his nipple by mere millimeters.

In shock, he brought his hand to the wound, and smeared his blood across his chest, and raised it to his face. The metallic stench, and the red liquid on his hand caused his blood to boil, and he clenched his bloodied fist in rage.

'How dare he? Who does he think he is?' His instincts rage in his head. His nostrils flaring as he took deep gulps of air trying to reign himself in. He knew it was foolish to want to kill the old male, but something in him snapped. He whirled around, and was met with another flash of light, and felt the same stinging sensation in his right shoulder blade.

He roared as his eyes settled on the old man standing in the middle of the room; the sword held out to the side; dripping with his blood. He watched as the old man gently tapped the blade, and his blood fell free, the blade instantly cleansed of the impurity. He powered up, and charged once again, firing a ki blast at the older male.

Dr. Briefs used his sword to deflect the ki attack, and immediately launched into the air. Thanking Kami he hadn't lost his touch with his swords.

Vegeta could feel it; his large hands were almost around the old man's neck when he disappeared from sight. Vegeta skidded to a halt, and stared at his hands in shock.

'What the… how?' He thought as he looked around the room for the old man. When he didn't see the old man, his senses drew him upward, and he nearly face vaulted when he saw the man standing on the ceiling of the GR; sword still in hand.

"I can go about this all day if you'd like Vegeta, but I don't want you to pass out from blood loss." Dr. Brief's joked at the enraged Saiyan.

Vegeta growled low in his throat as his mind cleared. He'd severely underestimated the old male, and with one final grunt, charged, but repeatedly felt the sting of cold steel to his flesh. He had let his ki slip, and was fighting on pure life energy alone. Something in him swelled at the thought that this human male was willing to put his life on the line to put him in his place. He didn't want to kill the older male, no; his rage had settled enough to allow him reason. The older male was trying to reach out to him in a way he'd understand. He could tell that Vegeta was about to snap, so he'd brought it out, and addressed it. Like a father who rode out a child's temper tantrum so he could get on with life. Finally, after the realization set in, Vegeta made one final swing for the man's sword arm, and connected. He felt the elbow bend and pop with a sick delight, but was shocked to only hear the man grunt in pain before taking the sword in his left hand, and effectively bashing him over the head with the butt end of the sword.

'Damn it. This old man is a lot faster than I originally thought.' Vegeta thought as he landed on the floor; staring up at the old man as he descended. His eyes widened when he saw the look in the man's eyes, and where he was aiming his sword. He made a last ditch effort to move, but wasn't quite fast enough without his ki.

Before either male knew what was happening, Dr. Briefs, out of pure rage brought the sword down on the very tip of Vegeta's tail. It was only after he heard the Saiyan cry out in agony, and drop to his knees that he felt remorse for his actions.

Vegeta sat on the floor, blood pouring from the numerous gashes that laced his body, and just stared at his tail. His body had gone into shock, and the jolts of pain pulsed as he watched the blood flow. His eyes watered like if someone had punched him in the nose, but he refused to show any emotion.

Dr. Briefs admired the young man's fortitude, but knew immediately that he'd done something that he ought not have in going after the boy's tail. His arm could be reset, and he'd be fine, but he knew that a Saiyan's tail was so much more than an extra appendage.

"Hell, son, let's get back to the med bay, and patch ourselves up. I'm pretty sure we can get that back on if we hurry; the doctor said as he cradled his broken arm in his left arm. He saw the distant look in the boy's eyes, and felt his resolve slipping. He'd wanted to teach the boy a thing or two, but had gotten carried away.

Betrayed. That was the look that was written on the Saiyan's face. Dr. Briefs felt a pang of guilt run through him as he realized that the boy had trusted him on some level, and despite his merciless attacks had accepted the beating until his tail was involved. That was a Saiyan's only weakness, and he'd gone for it.

He bent down, and retrieved the small piece of skin, and realized with some relief that he'd not taken any of the actual appendage off, but merely skinned the tip. Apparently the boy had some sense about him, and had tried to move his tail out of harm's way, but just wasn't fast enough.

"How." Vegeta said finally as he stared up at the doctor neutrally. He held not emotion in his eyes. He was in too much pain to really hold onto his anger, and it took every ounce of strength he had to fight slipping into unconsciousness from the pain in his tail.

"I'll explain on the way." Marshal Briefs said as he hoisted the younger male up by his shoulder. Truth be told, he was surprised that his sword hadn't really done much damage to the Saiyan's tough hide. The gashes were starting to heal, and only the freshest ones still dripped. Saiyan's healed rather quickly, but the injury to his tail had been what did him in. It was a wonder why the boy didn't have it removed like Goku did. He was so much against having any weaknesses to exploit; yet his tail remained.

Vegeta deftly wrapped his tail around his waist; mindful of the tip, and followed the doctor to the med wing. Once inside his simply stood; watching as the man popped his elbow back into place without so much as a yelp.

"Answer my question, old man, how?" Vegeta demanded as he extricated his tail from his waist and held it up for the man to examine.

Dr. Briefs was silent as he inspected and cleaned the tip of Vegeta's tail, and was mindful of the sensitive appendage. He took a swab, and dipped it in a jar near the table, and effectively numbed the appendage. He smirked when he felt the young man relax, and began sewing the tip of his tail back on.

"When I was about twenty years old, the area where I lived was struck with a genetic disorder that was rapidly killing off the inhabitants. No one knew how or where this disease came from, but everyone within the scientific realms concentrated their full attentions on curing it. A colleague of mine, Dr. Yasai, discovered a way to grow different organs and body parts within his lab that were transferrable to any blood type without rejection. He began selling these body parts to patients. Some couldn't afford the surgery up front, so they would purchase them on credit. However, as with any type of business, he started to lose money because people were not making their payments. So, he went to the council, and it was legalized. He was allowed to reposes the organs he'd sold."

"YELP!" Vegeta growled at the old man when the needle slipped, and poked the sensitive part of his tail that hadn't been numbed. "Watch yourself old man. I just may lob your head off this time."

Dr. Briefs shrugged indifferently, and tied off the last stitch, and cut it. He then wrapped his tail with bandages, and started on cleaning out the wounds on his chest and back.

"I had been employed under Dr. Yasai as his lead scientist. My wife was pregnant with Bulma, and contracted a blood condition. I did everything within my power to save her, but alas, she died. I was forced to deliver Bulma via c-section after her mother was dead. I went mad with grief, and killed twelve of my employees. Dr. Yasai and his men stopped me before I could escape the labs, and offered me the job. I was trained by the best assassins in the business, and performed my duties without hesitation. I just stopped caring. Bulma was the only thing I had left, and I was lost without her mother. I kept my profession a secret from her for many years, but that too came out after Dr. Yasai decided to sever ties with me when I refused to do a repo. job on one of my wife's oldest and dearest friends. Let's just say that feud ended in a blood bath. Bulma refused to speak to me for months, but after explaining everything to her through a locked door; she finally understood. She's never once brought that up, and she treats Bunny like she was her real birth mother. I couldn't ask for more. So, now you see why, I am the way I am." Dr Briefs ground out as he finished dressing the wounds, and pitched the bloody articles into the bio. Bin.

Vegeta nodded his head in understanding. It made sense now why she wasn't afraid of him that night, and why this old male was so overprotective. He guessed he'd be the same after that sort of thing. "But why did you stop fighting?"

Dr. Briefs sighed. "I didn't completely. There were still men out there who were after me for revenge. When Bulma was fifteen a man tried to kidnap her, and I was forced to end his life. I regret to say that I am probably the reason she doesn't fear death or gore. She witnessed everything, and I had to bathe her to get the blood off. After that I trained her to use a sword, but made it a game. She doesn't understand why I felt the need, and she doesn't know what I've done in the past. That was something her mother and I felt she would do best not to know. I simply tell her that it was a hobby I had. She believes me to this day; though I still know she suspects something." He said as he gave Vegeta the look that said you won't tell a soul.

Vegeta once again nodded, and gave a grunt as he hefted his injured tail around his waist once more. "Well, you have a daughter who is waiting to, play, and I have training to do." He said as he turned toward the door.

"Vegeta."

The Saiyan hesitated, and turned fully to face the old man. He cast him a questioning look.

"Take care of yourself. It might be beneficial to you and Goku to train yourselves without all that ki and extra gravity. You boys need to be rounded out. Don't rely so strongly on one of your abilities." The old man pointed out.

Vegeta cast the man a surprised look before cradling his chin in his hand as he contemplated the man's words. It was true, if the old man could keep up with a Saiyan who wasn't using any ki whatsoever; then it may be beneficial for him to get in contact with Kakkarot for a sparring match. He'd have to do that right away.

Vegeta closed the distance between them, and extended his hand. He watched as the older male stared at the offered appendage before clasping his hand around his forearm. Vegeta smirked, and mimicked the older male's form of a handshake, and was shocked when Dr. Briefs pulled him forward, and gave him an awkward sort of hug, and headed out the door. The Dr. said nothing as he watched the young man retreat, but a small smirk graced his lips, and he shook his head.

'That boy is really something.' He thought as he lit a cigarette, and drew a deep breath of the toxins into his system. He wouldn't mind if he stayed after the android battle. He ran his fingers through his messed up fohawk, and removed his glasses to rub his tired eyes. That little session had taken it out of him, and his bow was starting to hurt. He looked at his watch, and realized he was already five minutes late for his rendezvous with his daughter, and groaned. He was going to sleep very well tonight.

CLANG!

Dr. Briefs jumped at the sound of steel hitting metal, and glared at the younger male who was sporting a self satisfied smirk on his face. He'd been caught off guard.

"You know, I worked hard on that sword. I'd appreciate if you'd not throw it around as if it's a dime a dozen." Dr. Briefs grumbled around his cigarette as he placed his glasses back on his nose.

He was just about to take another drag when the cigarette suddenly disappeared. His eyes widened, and he quickly turned his glare to Vegeta.

Vegeta waved the cigarette at the doctor as he smirked triumphantly at him.

"You know these things are disgusting, and I don't like the smell." He growled.

"The wife's been trying to get me to quit, but it's hard to break a habit I've had since I was twenty." Dr. Briefs admitted.

He watched as Vegeta took the cherry of the cigarette, and put it out in his palm then flicked it into the trashcan.

"You're going to have to teach me how to use one of these things? It seems interesting, and I've always been interested in different fighting styles." Vegeta said awkwardly as he held the sword in his hands; trying to mimic the way Dr. Briefs had held it.

Dr. Briefs smiled, and accepted the sword. He resheathed it, and as he passed; placed a hand on Vegeta's shoulder. The two regarded each other for a few moments before nodding at each other, and parting their separate ways.

Vegeta immediately shot through the air in search of Kakkarot. He was quite excited to test out this new concept of training, and was surprised he'd taken the old man's methods of persuasion so well. He finally decided that he liked the old man, and that made it easier for him to actually keep his word to the woman about protecting her family. Now, if he could just find some way of tolerating the blond female; then he'd be fine.

'One step at a time, Vegeta' He thought humorously as he landed on a mountain's outcropping. He found Kakkarot, but he frowned when he noticed the half breed, and Namek were with him as well.

'Why train with them? They will only hold him back.' Vegeta thought bitterly as he growled low; catching the attention of all three warriors.

"Hey, Vegeta! What are you doing all the way out here, come to spar?" Goku said enthusiastically as he waved the older Saiyan over; much to the other two fighters chagrin.

Vegeta smirked at their obvious discomfort, and accepted the invitation without delay.

"I have a theory I wish to test. You will be required. I believe it best to utilize the GR for this." He growled, mainly for show, but the more he stared at Kakkarot's goofy grin, the more his amiable mood soured. He didn't quite understand why the younger male was always so God damned happy. It was annoying.

"Alright, hey guys, I'll see ya after bit. Gohan, don't lose track of time. Your mother would kill me if you missed dinner." Goku warned before the two Saiyans teleported out of sight.

Gohan sighed as he and Piccolo exchanged a look, but that was short lived as the green man, fazed forward and landed a bow to the boy's face.

"Dad, what took you so long? Was Vegeta being an ass again?" Bulma chirped as she watched her father enter the dojo. She'd been warming up with some katas, and was relieved to see that her father hadn't gotten sidetracked.

"No, he wasn't too much of a bother dear, but I'm feeling a little drained today. Can we maybe postpone our spar till tomorrow? I promise to take the day off so we don't get rushed." He said as he watched her face drop.

Bulma's disappointment was clearly visible, but after regarding her father, and seeing that he did in fact look a little warn; smiled, and nodded her head in agreement.

"Sure dad. You look like you could use some rest. I bet working all night, and dealing with Vegeta finally has caught up to you. I want to spar when you're fresh. What say we get up at six in the morning so we can get a good two hour work out before breakfast?" Bulma said excitedly as she took the sword from her father's hand, and turned to head toward his lab to return them to their case.

Dr. Briefs smiled as his daughter. She was definitely one of a kind.

"Sounds like a plan to me." He said as he pulled out a cigarette, and lit it, taking a long relaxing drag.

Bulma shook her head and rolled her eyes as she ran off. She had some things to do today anyway, and doubted she'd have any other time to get them done. She'd been putting off a pamper me day since she'd gotten back from Namek, and was really feeling like that would do her good.

After returning her father's swords, she ran upstairs to change into suitable clothing, and after grabbing her keys, hopped in her challenger, and headed out for a very relaxing day.

Author's Note: Ok, what did you think? I know in the show Vegeta actually put up with Dr. Briefs, but I just don't really like how they portrayed him, soooo, I toughened him up a little. It's really hard to see how Bulma got the way she is by looking at her parents in the show. So, please don't hate me for this. I just wanted to make it a little different. Review, and let me know what you think, and where you want to see this fic. Go. I'm still struggling to get my thoughts out, and feel like I'm losing myself.


	16. Author's Note

Author's Note:

I am sorry for the inconsistencies. I have gone back and edited my previous chapter to fix a few things. I read the chapter over after a few reviews, and realized that I'd really botched it up. I haven't really been bringin my A game with this story lately, and I apologize for that. I am currently trying to write the next chapter for my other story that's been put on the back burner, and because Vegeta's personality is quite a bit different in that one than this one, I got off track. I guess I'm not good at multi-tasking with stories. I promise that I will try my best to make sure all the chapters line up, and are a lot clearer.

To give you a little help with my vision for the story. Dr. Briefs is supposed to be the one who teaches Bulma and Vegeta to wield a sword, but since Vegeta dies during the Android saga; Bulma will be the one who teaches her son how to use the sword. ^_^ I do have a purpose for that aspect of Dr. Briefs. I also want to point out that I wasn't trying to make it like Dr. Briefs was able to get the one up on Vegeta. I was merely stressing how much he'd underestimated the older man. He also wasn't using any power until the end. In short; Vegeta wasn't really intending to harm Dr. Briefs, and was only toying with him by not using any of his true strength. I guess I just didn't really express that well enough. Shock, was what Vegeta was dealing with in this situation. I also wanted Dr. Briefs to be more of a protector; I'm sure he didn't approve of Vegeta at first, and Vegeta seemed more than a little annoyed by Dr. Briefs' presence at first. I just wanted to show how the two didn't really care for one another, but by finding a few things in common were able to develop a respect for one another, and thus Vegeta being welcomed into the Briefs "pack" as it were. Vegeta is merely trying to prove himself capable of fitting himself somewhere within their family unit, and Dr. Briefs is challenging him to see if he's going to snap; basically push Vegeta to show his true intentions/colors before making his final decision about the Saiyan. So, yes, he's curious about him, but wary, as any person would be when dealing with a strange alien.

I hope my next chapter clears some of this up, but I really am struggling with it. I welcome all criticism, critiques, and suggestions. To those of you who felt their critiques and suggestions were "flames" I sincerely say thank you. As long as you aren't flat out saying, you suck, without giving me reasons, ideas to help make it better, and suggestions to help move it forward, I whole heartedly thank you, and welcome your comments. ^_^

I want to apologize again for the errors, and I hope this next chapter will be so much better than the last couple I've put out. Once again, thank you all for sticking with me, and giving me all the help you can to make this story good. ^_^


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Slip Ups, and Misunderstandings

Author's Note: Please don't kill me! I've been in the process of starting up my own business, my mom isn't feeling all that wonderful, I was helping a friend at the Chiropractic office she works at while two other girls were on medical leave (OMG THE DOC IS A PSYCHO!!!), I've taken on the responsibility of babysitting my nephew for my brohan so they don't have to pay for a sitter, I have a dog who just got neutered and with complications from the surgery needs round the clock care, doing some remodeling on our house, volunteering at the local humane society, working with clients, and I've got a foster dog that I'm trying to train so he will be ready for adoption. I've never been this busy, and I'm not sure how to handle all the responsibility…ohy. Ok, well, I hope this chapter will be enough to tide you over for a while. It may be another month before I can update. Sorry, but life is crazy right now. Read, review, and enjoy. Please don't kill me O_o!

Bulma groaned in satisfaction as the masseuse popped a rather large kink from her tensed shoulder. She hadn't realized how tense she'd become over the past few months, and attributed it to her experiences on Namek, and having Vegeta living in her home. She exhaled slowly as expert hands pressed downward on her ribcage; forcing the air from her lungs. She really needed to loosen up.

"Is that too deep?" The masseuse asked as she craned over her patient's shoulder to see her expression.

Bulma smiled and shook her head no, and the woman returned to her task.

'It's been so long since everyone's gotten together, and the last time I tried to host a party; Vegeta and Goku trashed it before it even started. Sigh, oh well, I guess I'll try again. I still have a shit ton of food left, and since Vegeta's not been around for a while I may be able to hang with my friends in relative peace. I just hope Chi Chi can calm down for five minutes on Gohan's studying so he can have some fun too. Man, she really has gone insane. If that's what parenthood does to a woman, I want no part of it." Bulma thought anxiously as she wrinkled her nose.

"Relax miss; you're tensing up again." The woman urged as her hands returned to the spot on Burma's shoulder.

Bulma blushed, and did her best to stop thinking. It was her time to relax. She wasn't paying for the day at the spa for nothing. She allowed her mind to go blank as she concentrated on the feeling of the tension being expertly worked out of her body. After nearly twenty minutes more of the massage Bulma was released, and she headed for the other side of the building. She got her nails done, her hair was given a little trim to clean up the dead and split ends, and she had the crazy curls loosened into waves while adding a little swoop of her bangs to top off her new look. She got a chemical peel, mud bath, showered, and had her hair and makeup done before she donned her clothes, and headed toward the front. She wasn't going anywhere later, so she left her hair down and wavy. It reached just above her butt, and she was thankful the trim had shortened it. She'd hate to have to move it every time she sat down. Her bangs swooped across her forehead, and she groaned as she back tracked to look at her reflection in one of the hall mirrors. She'd always looked young for her age, nothing to complain about, but she hated when her hairstyle only accentuated that fact. Apparently the stylist thought she'd look best with some emo bang. She poofed her hair out of her face, and sighed. It looked smoking hot, and she'd be damned if she let anyone know she wasn't happy with the new punk do. She smiled, and greeted the woman at the desk as she paid for her day, and after grabbing a few items she'd purchased; fled the scene in her car; thankful to avoid the paparazzi for a chance.

"I really need to call Goku, give him a piece of my mind, and then invite everyone to a party at my place tonight." Bulma chuckled to herself as she sped down the busy strip. She wasn't necessarily a bad driver, but she did suffer from a condition called road rage. It came and went, but right now, she wasn't all that concerned with what others were doing. She rounded the corner of her street, and pulled her car back into her garage. Screw capsule cars; she was a classics girl. Nothing but muscle for her.

'Just like my men.' Bulma laughed to herself as she gave her baby a once over before exiting the garage, and locking the doors. She paused in surprise when she heard a rather loud screech come from the GR.

'That didn't sound good.' She thought as her curiosity drew her closer to the domed structure. She kicked off her heels, and hoisted herself up onto the leg of the structure, and peered through one of the porthole windows. She nearly fell from laughing at the sight that greeted her. Goku was running around the dome freaking out, and Vegeta was lying on his back, one arm over his eyes, while his opposite hand had a firm grasp between his legs, writhing in pain in the middle of the floor. He was throwing foreign curses at his opponent who had apparently caught him with a blow in a very sensitive area. She almost felt bad for the surly Saiyan, but somewhere in the back of her mind her evil side figured he deserved a swift kick to the balls.

'Well, it happens.' She thought as she made herself comfortable. She braced her feet on the narrow ledge of the capsule exterior, and decided to watch the two spar for a while. She was glad to see that their previous interactions hadn't totally cut them off from each other. She was worried that Goku and Vegeta would totally annihilate each other, but she'd been proven wrong on more than one occasion by her old friend.

She chuckled again when Vegeta stood, crossed his arms, and growled as he watched Goku run circles around the dome. Having had enough of the younger Saiyan's antics he stretched his arm out, and clothes lined the younger male; sending him crashing to the floor with an audible groan.

"Quit playing around, idiot, we have work to do. If you weren't the only other being on the planet I could spar properly with I'd be thrilled. Your stupidity is astounding." Vegeta grumbled down at the now sitting Goku who was rubbing his abused neck.

"Gosh Vegeta. What's your deal? Did one of your balls not drop or something?" Goku said sarcastically as he rose to his feet. He skirted around Vegeta when the older male roared in indignation, and attempted to lob his head off; missing by mere millimeters.

Bulma chuckled at the two men. Vegeta wasn't one to joke around, and Goku was the king of it. Putting the two in the same room was like trying to fit together two magnets with the same polarization; they just bounced off each other. Goku was an antagonist and an instigator; Vegeta was well, Vegeta. He didn't find humor in anything that didn't involve violence, and hated being the brunt of any joke. She wondered if Vegeta would ever lighten up, and learn how to just relax for a change. She didn't understand his "everyone is out to get me" paranoid mentality, but she guessed she could accept it. He did have a pretty rough life from what she'd been told.

When Vegeta finally succeeded in getting his hands on her friend; Bulma decided that it was time to call off the hounds.

'I'd say a little break would do them good.' Bulma thought as she hopped down, donned her heels, and walked around the front of the GR. She pressed the external override switch, and waited for the grumbling that was soon to follow.

Goku's loud grunt and Vegeta's cursing were the first sounds to reach her ears besides the normal sounds of the GR powering down, and the door sliding open.

"What the fuck do you want woman? Can't you see we're training?" Vegeta growled; fur fuzzed on his tail. Goku wasn't tailing too far behind, rubbing his abused head.

"What happened to your tail, Vegeta?" Bulma gasped as she noticed the bandage on the tip.

Momentarily distracted by her rabbit trail, Vegeta stammered as he brought his tail up for inspection. He'd almost forgotten about his newest injury, and struggled to think up a reply. He didn't want to deal with the woman's ranting at the moment. After a few short seconds of silence he came up with one, albeit a lame ass one.

"Cat." He mumbled under his breath; only just realizing what he was admitting.

He sweat dropped, and his left eye started twitching when both Bulma and Goku burst into a hysterical bout of laughter.

"SHUT UP ALREADY!!! IT'S NOT FUNNY!" He roared, punching Goku in the back of the head, and shooting daggers at the woman sitting in the grass below while pointing a warning finger in her direction.

Bulma wiped the tears of mirth from her eyes as she shot him a cheeky grin, and raised her hands in an innocent gesture that was completely ignored.

"Ok, I get it. Anyway, I was actually here to bitch Goku out, but that little piece of information just totally took it out of me." Bulma admitted as she fought back some chuckles.

Vegeta humphed, and turned his nose up and away from Bulma. He crossed his arms, and pivoted his body so he was showing her his back; a clear sign he didn't want to talk to her.

Bulma rolled her eyes at his display. Vegeta really could be a big baby at times. He really needed to learn how to take a joke.

"What's up then, B?" Goku asked his lifelong friend once the older Saiyan had retreated back into his GR.

"I was hoping to open the bank for everyone to cash those rain checks on our last party. Mom and Dad just stocked the kitchen, and we have plenty of food for everyone. I was thinking we could have a bonfire with some karaoke, and dancing. I heard it's supposed to snow next week, and I wanted to enjoy the warm weather before it's gone. Oh, and I think we still have some left over fireworks form last New Year's! What do you think?" Bulma said as she jumped up and down excitedly at the thought. She loved throwing parties, and loved them even more when all her friends were there.

Goku chuckled, and put his hands on her shoulders to try and still her bouncing. He loved when Bulma was happy, and she was so pretty when she smiled; it was extremely contagious.

"Ha ha. Ya, sounds good. Do you want me to pop in, and let the guys know?" Goku offered. He knew cellular reception was pretty terrible in pretty much every area where the guys were training, and a Tien and Chaoutsu didn't even have them. It was much easier for him to get in touch using his IT technique. He really didn't mind. He liked helping out.

Bulma beamed at him, and nodded emphatically.

"Ya! Thanks Goku, you're the best." Bulma squealed as she threw her arms around his neck, and continued to bounce excitedly. She quickly released him, and ran toward the house, calling to him over her shoulder.

"Tell them all to be here tomorrow at seven! I'll have everything ready by them. They can bring any CD's and alcohol they want!" She yelled as she waved at Goku, and disappeared through the back door.

Goku's smile immediately melted when she disappeared from sight. Bulma's hearing wasn't even a fraction of what his was, and he had been able to pick up the deep rumbling growl that came from within the GR. Apparently Vegeta hadn't quite appreciated that little display of affection.

'Tough. He's going to have to get used to it. He's on Earth, not out in space. Things are done differently on this planet.' Goku thought as he sighed in exasperation before craning his neck to stare at the GR where he knew the dark prince was sulking.. He wondered just how Vegeta was going to win his friend over and have Trunks. The two seemed oblivious to each other, but then again, he was pretty oblivious to most things. He shrugged, and ventured inside.

He was surprised, and slightly put off when all he could see was Vegeta's eyes staring at him from the darkest corner of the GR. He refrained from rolling his eyes once more, and pointing out how cliché that was. He really didn't want another shot to the head.

"What's your deal, Vegeta?" He asked. He was genuinely interested to see if the older male would admit that he was infatuated with his blue haired friend, but when the older Saiyan simply grumbled something foreign under his breath and looked away; he knew it was no dice.

"Suit yourself. You know Bulma's going to expect you to come to her party, right?" Goku pushed. He was well aware that his best friend liked the surly Saiyan. Everyone may have their reservations about Vegeta, including himself, but he was privy to information that the others, excluding Piccolo, were not. As he'd thought before, it would be rather interesting to know the 'How' to their unusual relationship.

He watched a few emotions pass across Vegeta's face before he settled on his usual irritated scowl. At least Vegeta wasn't throwing a fit about being forced to interact with humans. He just shrugged his shoulders before taking his leave. It was obvious that in Vegeta's mind, he'd overstayed his welcome, and he had a dinner and family to get home to.

As he shot into the sky, and began his flight home he began thinking about his dear friend, and all she'd contributed to their little band of friend's over the years. Goku loved Bulma's parties. If it wasn't for her, the gang would never even see each other but once every couple years if that, and whenever the world was in danger. Most of the time if they happened to run into each other, it was by accident, not because they planned on it. Bulma was definitely the glue that held the group together, and the cornerstone. It really boiled down to her. It she hadn't started her search for the Dragonballs; he wouldn't have met her, and in turn got the training he needed to defeat all the evil that had plagued their planet over the years. He arched an eyebrow as a sudden realization dawned.

'Huh, I guess Bulma's saved the earth all by herself in a roundabout way. If she hadn't brought us all together; the Earth would have been doomed from the very start. Wow, I never really thought of things that way.' Goku thought as his eyes lit up. He already loved Bulma to death, but his admiration for her only increased. She was constantly proving herself to be so much more than what everyone gave her credit for.

As his little house came into view he frowned slightly. He cringed when he heard his wife's shrill shouting from nearly 100 yards away. She really didn't understand what she did to his sensitive ears. He sighed, he love Chi Chi, he really did, but sometimes; he didn't like her all that much. He wasn't too thrilled about her constantly hitting him with household appliances, and forcing Gohan to study when there were things that, in his opinion, should be taking precedence at the present time.

'Sigh, it's a lot quieter at Capsule Corp with Bulma.' Goku had to fight down the stray thoughts that plagued his mind. He refused to allow himself to dwell on thoughts that wouldn't lead to anything good.

He touched down right outside his front door, and listened to what she was yelling about.

"Why is it that he is always going off here and there, and everywhere, and just doesn't seem to think twice about it? I mean, lately he's spending more time away than he is at home, and what gall does that Vegeta have in ordering him around anyway? He's the prince of nothing, I tell you, and he needs to remember that. It's about time Goku started spending more time with his family than with that hussy and that band of misfits." Chi Chi grumbled to herself as she worked on finishing up dinner.

Goku frowned at that. He knew he wasn't around much, but he hadn't thought she'd been all that bothered by it. He seemed to be in the way more often than not, and just wanted to stay out of her way. Apparently he'd been neglecting some things, and his wife was one. He knew her well enough to know that when she was hurt, sad, or upset about something she would lash out in anger at anything and everything. She didn't mean what she was saying, but boy, if anyone other than he had heard; he doubted they would feel the same way. He braced himself for the assault that was to come, and carefully entered the door.

"Hey Chi Chi, I'm back." He said, attempting to not seem apprehensive. It worked.

"Goku, where have you been? Gohan said you left him with that green freak, and ran off somewhere with that rouge of a murderer Vegeta! Honestly, what kind of message do you think that sends to..."

Goku had cut her of mid rant by snatching her around the waist, and hoisting her against his chest and crushing his lips to hers. He knew he wasn't very good at being romantic, but he had learned over the years the best way to shut his wife up, and make things good again.

Chi Chi struggled against his lips for a few seconds before relaxing, and just enjoying the sensations it brought. She allowed him to deepen the kiss, but the sound of a desk chair against hard wood startled both parties, and they broke apart abruptly, right before their son entered the room.

"Later." Goku mouthed to his wife, and cast her a cheeky grin as she blushed a beet red, and turned back toward the stove. He wasn't completely brain dead as most of his friends would like to think, and he had learned a thing or two about his wife during their time together, and he rather liked learning new things. He'd have to thank Bulma for the hefty push she'd given him in the right direction all those years ago. If it wasn't for her, he wouldn't have known what being married meant, and things would have really gone down the shitter.

Both adults greeted the youngster with smiles, and they all sat down to eat their dinner. Everything was back to the way it should be, at least for the time being.

*******************************Back at C. C.********************************

Vegeta was seething in the G.R. He hadn't moved from his spot in the corner since he'd seen that buffoon with his arms around the woman. He was well aware that humans were very touchy feely, and they had different meanings behind the intimate acts of hugging and kissing, but for some reason he couldn't shake the feeling he got in his gut when the woman had beamed up at his rival; thrown her arms around him, and well…

"GRRRR!"

He snapped his arm forward and punched a hole through the central control panel. He hated these feelings. He couldn't place them, but he knew they weren't good, and he didn't like it one bit.

He wanted her to smile at him like that, not at that idiotic, third class, piece of trash! Kakkarot already had a mate; what was he trying to pull? Vegeta glowered. He felt like sleeping; he was suddenly too tired to train, and knew that wasn't a good sign. HE made to turn the GR back on, but grumbled to himself when he realized his earlier outburst had cost him his training for the day.

"Shit. Oh, well. I'll just have that woman fix it." Vegeta grumbled as he grabbed his water bottle and towel before exiting the GR, and heading toward the back door in search of the woman or her father.

"Oh, hello dear, I wasn't expecting you to join us for dinner, Vegeta. Are you going to shower, and eat with us, or should I just put it in the fridge like always." Bunny Briefs asked as she whirled around from her place at the stove to regard the man standing in her doorway.

Vegeta shrugged. It couldn't hurt to sit down to a warm meal. He hadn't had one for a while, and his stomach was protesting that hot food was much better than cold any day.

"I'll stay." He mumbled as he passed by her; still uncomfortable in her presence.

"Vegeta." She called over her shoulder.

He paused at the foot of the stairs, and turned to regard her warily.

"I know it feels fairly warm out today, but it's going to get colder tonight, and there's a chance it may snow. I just thought I'd warn you so you'd be sure to bundle up when heading out." Bunny smiled as she turned back toward the stove.

Vegeta cast her a confused look before turning back to the stairs.

'What the fuck is snow?' He thought to himself, and wondered why the crazy woman felt the need to warn him about it. Nothing on the shit home they called a planet could hurt a Saiyan warrior. He shrugged off her warning mentally, and paid her no further mind. He grunted to her before continuing on up the stairs toward his room. He was about to enter when he thought better of it. He turned on his heels, and headed toward the labs to see if he could scare up the old man or his daughter. He wanted the GR fixed before tomorrow, and figured he could get them started to work before taking a much needed nap. He'd noticed the external temperature dropping, and the woman had taken to long sleeves and pants, much to his dismay. He briefly wondered if the drop in temperature had anything to do with the coming of whatever the blond bimbo had warned him about earlier. He grumbled to himself. Whatever this snow thing was; he decided he wanted no part of it.

CLANG, CLANG!

Vegeta's ears perked when he passed a double set of steel doors he'd never bothered to explore. He knew the sound of steel on steel anywhere, and curiosity forced him to crack open the door just enough to allow his body passage. He made his way to a darker corner, and made himself comfortable. The sight that had greeted him was a rather interesting one.

"Bulma, quit playing around; you're going to cause one of us to get hurt!" Dr. Briefs scolded his only child as she attempted to add some flourish to one of the newer techniques her father had taught her, and failed miserably. She lost her balance, and nearly took her father with her when she toppled to the floor.

"Sorry, papa. I just forgot how fun this is." Bulma laughed as she righted herself, and returned to the classic stance her father had shown her.

Dr. Briefs smiled, and lunged at his daughter who swiftly blocked and countered his attack. This went on for nearly half an hour before a flash of black in the corner caught Bulma's eye.

"Hey! How long have you been there, Vegeta?" Bulma scolded as she relaxed her stance; her father following suit.

Vegeta merely shrugged before pushing himself off the wall, and crossing the short distance to the middle of the room where father and daughter were standing.

"Long enough." He offered as reply while gently removing the sword from Bulma's hand. She let him examine it, and watched amused as he touched the tip to his finger, and drew blood.

"Careful, you big idiot! These are real swords ya know?" Bulma nearly growled as she snatched the sword from his hand. She knew it wasn't a bad cut; more like a paper cut to the burly man, but she was more on the side of playing it safe for her and her father's sake.

Vegeta grumbled under his breath at the insult, but let it slide. He wasn't really looking for a fight; he was on a mission.

"GR broke; one of you needs to fix it." He said neutrally.

Both father and daughter's faces contorted, and they frowned in disapproval. Vegeta shot them a harassed and confused look. He hadn't been overly demanding or rude; just stated a fact. He couldn't understand what they were so edgy about.

"You know, it wouldn't kill you to say please every once and a while." Bulma said as her father rolled his eyes at the two while resting on the handle of his sword.

Vegeta shot Bulma a warning look that said she was pushing her luck, and was surprised when she relented.

"Dad, we can do this another time. I know you've got a lot on your plate right now so I'll take care of the GR." She offered as she handed the older man her sword, kissed his cheek, and motioned for Vegeta to follow her without looking back to see if he was following her. Frankly, she didn't care. She hated when he stood over her shoulder watching her work. It made her extremely nervous, and she'd much rather he find some other form of entertainment.

Vegeta remained rooted to his spot indignantly. He wasn't a dog to be beckoned, and he wouldn't follow the woman for that reason. He followed her because he wanted to, not the other way around. He snorted his agitation; his tail lashing about behind him.

Dr. Brief's chuckled low, which caught the younger male's attention.

"Be careful boy, you're treading where dead men walk." He mused with a knowing wink, and continued to chuckle when Vegeta shot him a bewildered look, and decided to continue.

"Trust me, I'm her father, I know. Once Bulma has you wrapped around her finger; there's no escape. You're in dangerous territory my boy. I'm not saying it's necessarily a bad thing, but, women have a strange way of growing on you. You'll understand what I'm saying one day." Dr. Briefs said as he neared the benches along the wall. He retrieved his coat, and pulled his cigarettes and lighter out of the side pocket. He placed the filter to his lips, and was just about to light up when a low growl startled him. He turned his head to regard a rather agitated looking Vegeta who merely shook his head no.

"Ah, point made. I'll wait till you're a safe distance away. Why not go pester my daughter for a little while. I do believe she was complaining of boredom before we started our little sparring session." Dr. Briefs encouraged as he turned to exit the second set of doors on the opposite side of the dojo; lighting his cigarette as he went.

Vegeta stood rooted to his spot for a moment as he contemplated the older man's words. Part of him did itch to irritate the woman, but another part of him, the part that won out, wanted sleep. Wearily he drug his beaten body back toward his room, and when he'd shut the door behind him; flopped face first onto his bed and passed out. He slept through dinner, despite Bulma's attempts to wake him, and was very much intent on sleeping through breakfast. His body desperately trying to catch up on the sleep he'd lost the past few weeks.

*********************** The Next Morning***************************

BZZZZZZZ, BZZZZZZZZZZZZZ, BZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

"Ugh."

A well manicured hand shot out, and came down harshly on the new alarm clock that adorned her night table. Bulma groaned, and rolled herself to her back for a good stretch and yawn. She'd been up all night working on repairs to the GR, and was still tired. Apparently Vegeta had decided to remodel the motherboard, why, she had no idea. She knew it was him because the thing was in tip top working order before she'd left, and then suddenly it had a fist sized hole right through it. She didn't ask questions because she knew his temper, and she didn't feel like dealing with him. However, something in the back of her mind was worried about him. His sudden withdrawal from her and her family, his edginess, and the circles under his eyes told their own story, and Vegeta was powerless to hide it. He wasn't sleeping or eating well, and she knew that was a sign of sickness in a Saiyan. Goku had fallen ill once while they were still kids, and he'd refused to eat, and couldn't get good sleep for nearly three weeks. She'd thought he was going to die, but as always he managed to pull himself out of it with a little help from her father's knowledge of medicine. However, with Vegeta, she couldn't figure out if he was sick, or just plain not taking care of himself. He was notoriously hard on his body, and unlike Goku, didn't know when enough was enough. She sighed, and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She had way too much to do with getting the house set up for her party. She didn't really have the time to worry about him; he was an adult that could take care of himself, or so she thought. The sudden change in the weather had slightly fuddled her initial plans, but she wasn't about to cancel her party. Hell, she'd just bring it inside, and have it in her pool house.

"Shit." She grumbled when she checked her clock. She'd been lying in bed thinking for too long, and was at risk of missing breakfast. She threw back her covers, slipped on her socks, and bolted for the kitchen.

Bulma noticed that Vegeta's presence was lacking when she finally arrived for breakfast. The fact that he'd slept through dinner wasn't at all that big of a concern to her because he'd been doing it almost regularly, but skipping two meals in a row was not something he normally did.

"I'm gonna go see if Vegeta wants to come down for breakfast. You guys don't have to wait on us ok?" Bulma said as she exited the kitchen. She was just about to mount the stairs when she caught the faint sounds of Vegeta crying out. She frowned, and feeling her concern for him intensify, turned on her heel taking the steps two at a time. She tried Vegeta's door, and after finding it unlocked she slowly peeked through a crack to see if he was still asleep.

"Poor guy, he must have trained himself too hard." Bulma thought as she recalled the time Goku had slept for nearly three days straight after fighting King Piccolo. They'd all been worried sick about him. She guessed it could be a Saiyan thing. Slowly she widened the crack in the door enough for her body to squeeze through before carefully shutting it behind her. She allowed her eyes time to adjust to the dim lighting, and was greeted with a slightly disturbing sight. Vegeta was sweating profusely, and thrashing about in his bed. He'd nearly destroyed the thing. His pillow had been ripped to shreds, and feathers littered the room. He'd ripped his comforter and sheets, and his bed had holes in it from head to foot. She frowned at the destruction, but more at the man who caused it. He was growling and gnashing his teeth, his tail was lashing about angrily, and he was thrashing around in his bed while speaking in a guttural voice, a language she'd never heard. She knew it wasn't a sound idea to wake him, especially seeing the state he'd left his room in, but something in her wanted to soothe him. It was one thing to hear that he'd had a rough life from her friends, but it was completely different seeing him struggle with his demons in his sleep.

"What are you dreaming about?" Bulma thought as she approached the prince's side. She stood next to the bed, and just barely placed her hand on it. She was well aware that he would be able to pick up on her presence because of her ki, and didn't want to overwhelm him just yet. When he didn't overreact to her initial presence, she slowly lowered herself to lean over the bed using her arms to prop her up. She slowly reached out her hand, and held it above his face; hoping he'd feel the presence, and not lash out. She needed her arm after all. When that didn't work, she decided to resort to more physical measures.

Bulma gently tapped his cheek as she attempted to wake him from his nightmare. She'd been calling his name, and shaking him gently for about five minutes, but that hadn't produced the desired results. Finally after what felt like ages, his eyes fluttered a few times, and finally woke with a start. She tried not to laugh at the startled, yet half asleep expression on his face. His eyes were wide and confused, and he was staring at her like she'd just materialized out of thin air. He didn't move, only blinked his blood shot eyes for a few seconds as his eyes attempted to adjust to the sudden flood of light from the hall before responding.

"Am I dead?" He asked in a rough voice that was thick with sleep. He blinked his eyes and shook his head trying to clear away the fuzz.

Bulma cast him an odd look as she regarded him warily. His question had thrown her off guard, and the way he was staring at her caused her to wonder if he was actually awake.

"Uh, no." She answered, voice teetering on laughter as she watched his expression remained fuddled. She knew she shouldn't be laughing at him because there was clearly something amiss, but his random questions were starting to rattle her composure.

""Have I joined a cult?" He asked next; after seeing how trashed his living quarters were.

Bulma could no longer contain her laughter, and couldn't help herself from rolling her eyes at the absurdity. Though, as she thought about it; his assumption wouldn't be too far off. His room did look like a chicken had been sacrificed!

"No, silly. You were having a nightmare, a particularly bad one might I add. If you don't mind me asking, what were you dreaming about?" Bulma said as she chuckled, and placed the back of her had against his forehead to check his temperature. He was much warmer than she'd like him to be, even for a Saiyan who possessed a naturally high body temperature, but she assumed his dream may have caused his temperature to rise. She'd have to check him again later. With Vegeta, it was always better safe than sorry.

Vegeta brushed her hand away, and grumbled something under his breath as a faint blush tinted his cheeks. He'd been caught, and didn't feel like explaining what was going on in his mind.

It's none of your business, woman. Now leave me alone." He growled as he rolled on his side away from her, and attempted to pull his shredded covers over him.

Bulma laughed openly at his antics, and poked him under the arm through the gaping hole that was left. He jerked, sat bolt upright, and glared at her.

"Woman, I'm trying to sleep. What the hell do you want?" He grumbled sleepily, too tired to fight with her.

Bulma's chuckles faded, and she smiled at him pleasantly.

"You missed dinner last night, and its breakfast time. I wanted to see if you were going to come down." Bulma said as she gave his hand a gentle tug; hoping to get him moving. She knew he needed to eat; even if he was dead tired.

Vegeta growled as he allowed her to pull him from his bed.

"Alright, alright, you can stop tugging on me, woman." He said as he swatted her hand away.

Bulma watched as he shuffled to his dresser drawer, and retrieved a pair of pants and slid them over his boxers. She blushed a light shade of pink, and covered her eyes with her hand. She'd seen him in them before, but she'd never really gotten a good look. She was definitely liking what she was seeing, and didn't need his keen sense of smell finding her out. When she heard his drawer shut, and Vegeta making his way back toward her she brought her hand down, and turned toward the door.

"I told my mom and dad not to wait for us to start eating so it may just be us. Oh, and I can get you some new bedding before tonight, just try not to destroy this set." Bulma said as the two descended the stairs.

Vegeta grunted his acknowledgement, but remained silent. He was still trying to get the images from his nightmare out of his head.

Bulma was actually surprised when they entered the kitchen to find that her parents had actually waited for them.

"Oh, Bulma, I poured you and Vegeta some coffee, and put your plates out. It's still hot so enjoy." Mrs. Briefs said as she buttered her toast.

"Thanks mom." Bulma said, and elbowed Vegeta in the ribs. He grunted as both too their seats, and began their morning rituals.

"Dr. Briefs folded his newspaper, and munched on a piece of bacon.

"There's about three inches of snow on the ground. Winter's come early this year. It just seems like summer came and went. It was 40 yesterday, and now look. I do hate cold weather. It makes my bones ache." The older man grumbled as he rubbed his shoulder.

Bulma's eyes lit up.

"SNOW!!! REALLY!?!?! Oh great. I thought it wasn't going to start till later on. I just have to call everyone and tell them they need to come over as soon as they can. We need to make a day of this! Mom, can you bake some of your amazing cookies for everyone? Dad, where did I put those sleds?" Bulma chirped as she quickly ate her breakfast.

"Bulma dear, slow down. You're almost eating as fast as Vegeta." Dr. Briefs laughed as he picked up his mug of coffee.

Bulma blushed, and did as told.

Vegeta smirked behind his mug, and cast a curious eye toward the window. He was confused by the white specks that were falling. He'd not seen anything like it before. He watched the woman, and mused at his excitement. Why she was getting all worked up was beyond him, but he assumed it had something to do with this thing called snow, and winter. He shook his head, and finished up his breakfast before rising, and heading toward the back door.

"Where you going, Vegeta?" Bulma asked confused.

Vegeta shot her an annoyed look before continuing toward the door.

"To train, where else?" He growled over his shoulder.

Bulma shrugged her shoulders. She figured she could drag him out later when the gang got together to go sledding.

"WHAT THE FUCK!!! AHHHH!!!! WOMAN!!!!" Vegeta cried in frightened bewilderment, after opening the back door.

All three human's literally jumped up from their seats at the table, and ran toward the back door to see what had caused such a reaction out of their houseguest. The sight that greeted them caused Bulma and both her parents to burst out laughing. Apparently Vegeta had never experienced snow before. He'd shut the door too hard, and some snow had fallen from the roof onto his head, and he'd slipped on a thick patch of ice that had settled on the concrete walkway, and somehow wound up in a snow drift. His tail was fuzzed, and his hackles were raised; his canines were bared as his teeth chattered, and she could see goose bumps forming on his skin, and his nipples had turned into little pebbles. He looked like a cat that had been dropped in a bath of cold water.

"Stop that laughing, you pitiful wastes of space, and explain." Vegeta roared as his tail fuzzed up even further.

Bulma's laughter died to little chuckles as she tip toed over to the ruffled Saiyan male, and reached up to dust some powdery snow from his black mane.

"Well, get out of that snow drift fuzz butt! You're not even remotely dressed properly to be out in this weather. Haven't you ever seen snow before?" Bulma mused as she took hold of his hand, and pulled him back into the house; mindful of the patch of ice that threatened to take them both down. Once inside, Bulma's father shut the back door, trying his hardest not to laugh at the boy's reaction. It was just a little snow after all. He was acting like the damn stuff was going to kill him. He shook his head in amused befuddlement.

'Saiyan's, they can take broken bones, and torn flesh, but they are afraid of needles and snow. I'm certain I'll never understand THAT logic.' Dr. Briefs thought as he watched Vegeta shake the excess water from his hair, and tail causing him to look more like a drowned, pissed off cat than a Saiyan Prince.

"I'll get started on those cookies dear." Bunny called to her daughter as she watched Bulma drag Vegeta into the living room. She disappeared for a second before returning with one of his long sleeve thermal shirts, a pair of sweats, socks, and a towel.

"Okay mom, thanks." Bulma called back the minute she returned.

"Here, Vegeta, towel off and put these on." She instructed. When he refused to accept the items from her she sighed.

"Fine, be a baby about it." She grumbled as she took hold of his tail, wrapped the towel around it, and fuzzed it dry, being mindful of the bandaged tip.

"WHA!?! DON'T DO THAT! GET OFF!!!" Vegeta started as he pulled his tail from the towel, and grumbled at its crazed and static charged appearance.

Bulma chuckled as she watched him turn away from her, and begin to lick his tail like a cat, being careful of his wound. He then licked his palm to smooth the rest of his tail he that he couldn't reach with his tongue.

"Look here Vegeta. This is what humans normally do with snow." Bulma explained as she pointed out the various activities, and just as she'd suspected, Vegeta seemed to take instant notice of the snowball fight that sent the children running for cover while screaming with glee.

"What are they doing? They can't kill anyone with that freezing cold, fluffy, wet, crap." He said indignantly, completely missing the concept.

Bulma chuckled at his naivety.

"No, no, the idea isn't to hurt or kill anyone, Vegeta. It's a game. I guess you could consider it a type of war game. You usually have two opposing teams who each have a flag or some make shift target, and each team tries to capture the other team's flag. They usually use a scarf or a hat. You also have the free for all fights where you just try and hit as many people with as many snowballs as possible. My personal favorite is hide and seek. Everyone gets a snowball, and one person has to find all those people. If the people hiding are found, and able to hit the seeker with their snowball before being hit first, then they get to run off and hide again. If the seeker hits them first; they have to help the seeker find the other players who were hiding." Bulma explained as she watched Vegeta's eyes move as he watched the different children running around throwing snowballs at each other.

"Seems pointless." He growled, finally growing bored of watching the shenanigans.

Bulma rolled her eyes.

"There doesn't always have to be a point to something. It's fun, that's the point." Bulma scolded as she turned from the window.

"Look, when everyone gets here, I'm gonna round up the gang so we can play, that way you'll understand what I'm talking about."

Vegeta wrinkled his nose in disgust, and mild offense as he lifted his head to the side as if to say, "Fuck no, not happening."

"Sigh, we always get together for the first snow of the season, and I'm not about to let anything spoil that tradition. I'll catch ya later, ya big grump." Bulma growled as she stuck her tongue out at him.

Vegeta quirked his eyebrow and flicked her nose with his tail.

"I wouldn't make such offers, woman; especially when you have no intention on upholding." Vegeta rumbled low before turning toward the stairs. He wasn't about to go back out in that white stuff till he was damn good and ready. The woman and her games be damned to hell.

Bulma stared after him for a few moments contemplating his words. What exactly he'd meant by what he'd said she wasn't sure, but his tone, and the look in his eyes gave her some good guesses.

"Oh well, time for the roundup!"

RING…. RING….RING…

"Hello, Son residence." A familiarly cheerful voice answered.

"GOKU… SNOW!!!" Bulma squealed, and chuckled when she heard him swear under his breath at her pitch and volume.

"GOKU, WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE!!!"

"Sorry, Chi Chi." He said sheepishly.

Bulma cringed when she heard her friend's wife screeching in the background, and vaguely wondered how the man was still able to hear after all those years.

"Anyway, you guys coming over now? My mom is makin cookies, and I've got everything to make my famous Bailey's hot chocolate!" She said enticingly. She knew her friend couldn't resist her hot chocolate, and her mother's home made peanut butter no bake cookies. She could almost hear him salivating over the phone.

"I'll round up the gang, and we'll be over in a jiffy." Goku said before hanging up without so much as a goodbye.

Bulma just laughed at his enthusiasm, and bounced into the kitchen to check her mother's progress, and offer her assistance. The older woman was busy tearing off long sheets of wax paper, and draping them over the table and counter tops. Bulma could smell the butter melting in the giant pot, and when she took the lid off the peanut butter jar for a taste, she barely dodged her mother's spatula as it swung at her hand. She then made her way up to her bedroom to get changed. As she passed Vegeta's room she paused. She shrugged her shoulders, and decided that it wouldn't be very nice to not invite him along. She knocked twice before barging into his room, and immediately regretted that decision. There, in all his masculine glory stood Vegeta. He was facing away from her, rummaging through his underwear drawer when she entered, and his shock and anger at her bold move was evident.

"WHAT THE FUCK!?!?! DIDN'T YOUR SCATTERBRAINED PARENTS TEACH YOU TO KNOCK!?!?!" Vegeta raged in embarrassment as he struggled to conceal his nudity with his tiny towel.

Bulma blushed a crimson red behind her hands that covered her eyes and face. Images of his perfectly sculpted ass, and chiseled abs, flashing across her eyelids. She groaned and struggled to find an excuse. She licked her now parched lips, and laughed nervously. She really had to fight the urge to peek through her fingers at his front.

"Technically I did knock… you just didn't answer." She said sheepishly, trying to lighten the mood with a joke.

Too bad Vegeta wasn't in the mood for jokes.

"WHAT THE FUCK… grumble… grumble…" Vegeta choked as he caught on, and fought with his anger. Suddenly his nose twitched, and a sly smirk made its way to his lips.

'What have we here?' He thought cheekily.

He continued to smirk at her obvious discomfort, and decided that he'd punish her for invading his domain without his consent. He silently made his way over till he was standing right in front of her, towel now wrapped securely around his waist. He reached up with gentle fingers, and pried her fingers away from her eyes and face.

"What's the matter woman; never see a man naked before?" He mocked, smirking at her flustered face.

Bulma sputtered for a few seconds, completely caught off guard before her anger got the better of her.

"Psh, yes, as a matter of fact I have. I've seen Yaumcha naked before." She said in self defense. However, the ever widening smirk on Vegeta's face told her she'd walked right into something.

"Woman, I was referring to a real man, not a little boy." Vegeta rumbled as he inched his way closer to her, effectively pinning her between his bare chest and the now closed door.

Bulma gulped nervously, and for lack of a better option placed her palms flat against the door to make sure she didn't touch anything she shouldn't, but oh, how her fingers itched to feel his rock hard abs.

Vegeta scented the air once more, and felt his instincts purr in satisfaction when he caught her scent. Apparently she liked their new position, and his ego joined in the chorus of satisfied purring. Forgetting what he'd swore to himself earlier, and the fact that he'd initially wanted to mess with her, Vegeta leaned in, and scented her neck. His wet bangs hanging down to brush against her heated flesh. He placed his hands on her hips, and allowed his tail to wrap around her upper thigh. He smirked when he felt her shiver, and couldn't help himself. He gently nipped the soft flesh right behind her jaw, and chuckled low when he heard her gasp in shock, and stiffen in his arms.

"Your scent gives you away woman." Vegeta teased as he pulled his head back to stare down at her. His gaze was heated, and he knew she was well aware. He wanted to see just how far he could push her before she turned tail and ran.

Bulma's blush deepened, and she raised her hands to his chest, and gave a gentle but firm push. She needed to put some distance between them before she did something she may regret. Unfortunately for her, he didn't seem to feel like obliging her this time.

"Vegeta, please, can you just give me some space?" She pleaded in a hushed tone. It wasn't the fact that she liked being so close to him that frightened her; it was the fact that she didn't trust herself not to allow him liberties that he wasn't entitled to. As much as she was physically attracted to him, she wasn't sure she should try and push things with him. She wasn't sure just how far he was willing to go, and she refused to be a one night stand. She'd had her fill of ass hole men after Yaumcha. When she pushed again, and he stood his ground she became angry.

"Damn it, I said move!" She yelled as she raised her hand and struck him in the face out of desperation.

Vegeta let out a startled growl, and Bulma vaguely noticed his yielding to her demand. She raised her eyes to stare at him, and felt a pang of guilt shoot through her chest at the hurt look that flashed through his eyes before being covered over by his neutral façade.

"Sigh, Vegeta. You can't do that to me. It's not right. Friends don't… do that… to each other." Bulma tried to explain. How was she going to explain to him that she cared for him more than just a friend. She ran her fingers through her hair, and cast him an apologetic look.

Vegeta simply grunted at her, and turned his back. His shoulders slouched slightly, and his tail rewound around his waist; a tell tale sign that he wasn't quite sure of himself. She'd wounded his pride.

"Apparently I've misinterpreted things." He said in a dead pan voice, still facing away from her.

Bulma felt torn, but knew she'd done the right thing. Vegeta was still too green in his knowledge of human's ways of being, and didn't want to confuse him. What might have been ok to him; was certainly not ok for her. She needed security, loyalty, and companionship. Someone she knew wouldn't just leave her. Someone who would take care of her, and love her; she wasn't sure Vegeta was capable of that. She sighed, and rounded his frame till he was facing her. She raised her hand and soothed the slightly red cheek where she'd struck him, and reached up to plant a tiny chaste kiss on it.

"There, all better now." Bulma said as she smiled at him, trying her hardest to get him to lighten up. However, after a few seconds of his glaring at her; Bulma's smile faltered, and she felt slightly uncomfortable.

"Well, I came up here to tell you that everyone is coming over to play in the snow, and I wanted to help you get dressed." Bulma said sweetly, trying to change the subject.

Vegeta looked at her like she'd sprouted another head, and snorted irritably before turning away from her once again.

"I don't think so woman." He growled as he bared his canines at the window.

Bulma knew he was still brooding, and decided to simply take action. Hopefully he'd just go along with it, but with Vegeta, you just never knew. She quickly crossed back to his closet, and threw open the doors. She rummaged through a couple boxes, and bonked her head with her palm at her forgetfulness. She stood on two boxes, and pulled on a string that was hanging down to open a small attic. She stood on her tippy toes as she tried to scoot the box closer to herself so she could bring it down, but wasn't quite tall enough.

"Damn it… ugh.!" She swore under her breath, and huffed some dust as she tried to reach for it a second time.

Vegeta could hear her struggles from within the closet. He knew she was doing the exact opposite of what he'd said, but something pulled at him. He growled, and cursed himself as he rolled his eyes, and made his way over to where she was. He raised an eyebrow as he took in her appearance, and took the moment of distraction to have a nice long look at her body without her knowledge.

"Woman, get down from there before you hurt yourself." Vegeta ordered as he wrapped his tail around her waist, and gently pulled her towards himself. And down from her precarious perch atop the boxes. Enjoying the way her ass rubbed against his front.

Bulma blushed, and chuckled at him. Sometimes he just didn't know what he did to her… or did he?

"I just need that box." She pouted, and it was then, Vegeta knew what that woman's father had been talking about. Absently he felt the nagging feeling in the back of his mind that told him to run away, but his more prominent instincts were forcing him onward; or where they his hormones? He'd have to sort the lot out later.

He easily reached up through the hole, and using some of his kinetic energy slid the box close enough for him to grasp hold of. He hefted the box down, and placed it in her awaiting arms. She beamed up at him, and thanked him before racing from the closet, and setting the box on the bed to rifle through it. He chuckled, and rolled his eyes at her childish behavior, but was curious to see what it was that had caused such trouble. Despite their earlier interactions, it was becoming increasingly difficult for him to stay mad at her.

"Here it is." Bulma cried as she pulled out a pair of brownish overalls, and a black coat from the box followed by a black hat, gloves, socks and scarf.

"Not on your life woman." Vegeta stated as he slowly inched away from her, and her all too alluring pouty face. Kami, what he imagined that pouty mouth could do. His eyes shot open in surprise at the sudden thought, and he coughed as he tried to cover up his reaction.

Bulma hadn't noticed due to her excitement. She merely put everything on the bed, and extended the overalls to him.

"Here, just put these on." She demanded, and was surprised when he complied. He grunted, and turned around; glaring at her over his shoulder.

Bulma was confused for a moment before she got the idea. She retrieved a pair of scissors from the hall closet, and returned to cut a tail hole. When she was done she cast him a sarcastic look that said "happy now?" When he smirked, and flicked her nose once again with his tail; she giggled and stood to her feet.

"Now, just put the rest on." She said as she handed him each article of clothing.

'How the hell did she wrangle me into this?" Vegeta thought as he donned the toboggan, and threw his arms out.

"Happy now, woman?" He grumbled as he saw her mouth twitch.

"Do it. Laugh, and see what happens." He growled when she covered her mouth to stifle her chuckles.

Surprisingly Bulma was able to reign in her laughter. It wasn't that the toboggan made him look stupid or anything, but it was different. The hat effectively covered his head and hair, but his bangs were pushed downward, and were protruding from underneath it, and hanging in his eyes. She stepped closer to him, and brushed the bangs to the side so he could see, and smiled at him. He looked emo with his bangs that way, but she couldn't help but think he looked a whole lot less threatening.

Vegeta groaned, and sighed. How had he been reduced to the woman's dress up doll? He'd thought about some if the tortures he'd endured in his past, and was thinking he'd rather relive some of those than go out in that nasty substance called snow dressed up like an idiot. He really didn't see the point in all of this. If he didn't favor the female, she'd have been dead long ago. He turned toward the bathroom, but halted when his senses picked up the other Saiyan in the living room.

"That half baked idiot apparently doesn't know how to use a door." He growled.

"What do you mean? Is Yaumcha here?" Bulma asked thinking he'd just let himself in. She growled at the impertinence.

She watched as he took the three strides it took to stand in front of her, squared his stance, crossed his arms, and smirked at her with that arrogant expression she hated. She noticed how his tail swayed behind him, and couldn't help but roll her eyes and growl in annoyance.

"What?" She asked, knowing he'd somehow thought something she'd either done or said was amusing.

"So, you think your ex is a half baked idiot? I thought you said he was a man?" Vegeta purred as his smirk widened when her face turned to one of astonished anger, and she struggled to find something to say in her defense.

"Well, I just assumed, you didn't say who, and well… UGH!! You think you're soo smart don't you?" She grumbled as she realized she'd really walked into that one.

"BULMA!!! HEY, WHERE YA AT?" Goku hollered from the first floor.

Vegeta rolled his eyes, and mumbled something foreign under his tongue.

"Be nice." Bulma ordered as she pointed her finger at him warningly before retreating out the bedroom door, and descending the stairs to properly greet her friend while praying to Kami that her decision to invite Vegeta wouldn't turn out to be a huge mistake.

Vegeta wrinkled his nose at her retreating figure, and sighed as he reached up to pull the boggan off his head, and stare at it in his hand. He didn't really feel like socializing with the woman's rag tag group of friends, but as it was, he didn't really seem to have a choice. He just prayed that his accepting her invitation wouldn't turn out to be a huge mistake.

Author's Note: Gee, how well do you think Vegeta is going to do in the snow? Why is Goku so obsessed with Bulma's famous hot chocolate, and how do you think Bulma is going to convince Vegeta to go sledding? If ya wanna find out, review. The more reviews, the quicker I'll update.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Snowball Fights, and Winter Nights

Author's Note: Ok, I apologize about the last chapter. I felt like it kinda fell apart at the end because I've actually been working on it for over 2 months. Ya, I know, I'm soo bad. Anyway, I really hope this chapter will get me back on track. Thanks to all of you who have remained faithful in reading my story, and your reviews are greatly appreciated! I promise I will finish this fic. However, it will be a pretty long one. I'm not rushing things, and I haven't decided if I wanted to break it up into two different stories yet. Oh, well, I'll figure it out… read on readers! ^_^

"Hey blue bird! You're not ready yet." Goku said as he took in his friend's appearance. He was wearing a pair of dark black Gortex boots, water proof black ski pants, with suspenders, a red long sleeve shirt underneath, and a bright red Columbia coat. He carried his boggan in his hand, and Bulma mused that he looked much more like a hunky lumberjack than anything.

Bulma blushed when she realized that she was still in her pajamas, and socked Goku in the arm.

"I know. Vegeta needed something to wear so I had to help him out. Can you believe he's never seen snow?!?!" Bulma said as she made an exaggerated face of surprise.

Goku hitched an eyebrow and cast a surprised glance up the stairs where he could sense the other Saiyan's ki. He'd never thought about it, but seeing as how many planets he'd been to on their crazy journey didn't seem to have the atmosphere for snow, it would make sense that Vegeta had never encountered the stuff. Truth be told, Goku wasn't a fan himself, but he'd gotten used to it, especially living on top of Mt. Pzao where the weather took a drastic turn ever so often.

"Well then I guess he's in for a real surprise. You're a freakin dead eye with those snowballs, and you're soo tiny it's hard to even see ya well enough to hit ya." Goku joked as he gave her a gentle shove toward the stairs.

"Go get ready. Chi Chi and Gohan are making themselves at home in the kitchen with your mom, and I'm afraid I can't resist the temptation myself." Goku chuckled as his nose twitched in the air, and he made a move toward the kitchen as if drawn there by force.

Bulma laughed heartily at her friend's antics before shaking her head and rolling her eyes. He was such a goober.

"Woman…" Vegeta said angrily from the top of the stairs.

Bulma regarded him silently as she continued her ascent, but she could tell that he really didn't want to associate with the Sons as a family. He could be very socially backward at times, and it appeared that he was going to make things difficult for her.

'Well, it's what I get I guess.' She mused as she rolled her eyes.

"I have to get my snow clothes on too. Just hang on a second, and we can go down together. I won't force you to endure Chi Chi alone." Bulma chuckled when she saw the look of relief flash across his face. Everyone knew Chi Chi could really let ya have it if you pissed her off enough. No one wanted to deal with her, sometimes not even her own family. Vegeta wasn't the exception, but Bulma wasn't about to risk a fight between the two males over some misplaced words.

When she reached the top of the steps, Vegeta stood to the side, and allowed her passage. She made her way into her bedroom, leaving the door open. She figured she'd just change, and get out as fast a she could.

She slid into a pair of thermal pants and shirt, covered those with a pair of skinny jeans and a long sleeve shirt that said "Don't Make Me Go Dexter On You", followed by her white and grey camo ski pants, and white Columbia coat. She slipped into a black and white polka dot pair of snow boots, and donned a black boggan with a white Nike swoosh on the front then her white and black striped gloves that converted from mittens to fingerless. She folded the mitten top back and snapped it to the back of her hand so her fingers were free, and smiled at her reflection in the mirror.

"Let's get this party started!" She said as she pointed her finger at the mirror like a gun, and fired it.

'They'll never know what hit em.' She thought as she looked at her nearly white out clothing. She knew that she would be hard to see, but as long as they could see her boggan and boots; they stood a chance.

"Woman, come on." Vegeta said as he leaned against the doorframe to her room, and watched her check her attire. He really didn't understand all the fuss. He looked down to what he was wearing, and sighed. He didn't really want to go out in the cold, but he didn't seem to have much of a choice. He growled in irritation. How the hell did he end up getting suckered into shit?

"All the idiots are here, and baldy came up to use the bathroom." Vegeta growled as his hackles rose while he cast a wary glance over his shoulder; watching as the bald monk straightened his snowsuit, and made his way back downstairs.

"Listen mister. I've got my eye on you. You're more grumpy and edgy than normal. I'm going to assume it's because everyone is here, but you better behave" Bulma said as she crossed the short distance, and poked him in the chest.

Vegeta rolled his eyes, and batted her finger from his chest. Whatever woman, just be glad I agreed to this. You should feel so honored" He grumbled as he watched her roll her eyes, and gave him an unimpressed face.

"Vegeta, please. At least attempt to relax. No one here wants to do anything to you so just let it go. I've known everyone since I was 16. I think I'd know if they were going to be asses toward you. Just don't start anything, and they won't bother you." She said as she pointed her finger at him, and gave him a look that just screamed "Don't even think about trying to argue with me."

He sighed, and shook his head before quickly wrapping his tail around her wrist, and dragging her out of the room, protesting the rough treatment the entire way.

"Woman, just walk." He growled once they'd reached the top of the stairs.

Bulma playfully flicked his nose, and he nipped at her retreating appendage in return; a low growl rumbling in the back of his throat.

"Whatever. Look, please attempt to be civil to everyone? I know they may be a little standoffish, and distrustful, but please, bear with them. They won't always feel the way they do now." Bulma pleaded with the irritated male. She could feel his tail was fuzzed up, and saw the hackles raised at his nape. She didn't want him to be stressed, but she honestly didn't know any other way to get him socialized with other people in a positive way. She just prayed she wasn't pushing him to hard too soon. She didn't want to make him snap on her.

She took her place in front of him on the stairs as they descended; praying that her presence between the group, and Vegeta would be enough to calm his already frayed nerves.

"Woman, I will make no such promise. As long as they leave me be, there will be no problem. I could care less what they think of me just so long as they maintain their distance." He growled as he followed closely behind her.

Despite his words Bulma felt relief. At least he wasn't going to go looking for a fight. In a roundabout way he was promising not to start anything, but she knew damn good and well, if someone started something with him; he'd finish it. That was the difference between Goku and Vegeta. Goku lacked the instincts and desire to kill. Vegeta, was a master at it, and in a grim sort of way, she had to respect him for not continuing his gory rampage after that dreadful night. Just thinking about it turned her stomach, and she cast a disturbed look at him over her shoulder. She couldn't help but feel like she was leading a ticking time bomb by the tail.

'It's like those people who keep exotic large cats for pets. The people think the cats are tame, they think the cats love them, and would never hurt them. Then, one day, they slip up, and the big cat snaps and kills them without warning or obvious provocation.' Bulma thought as she felt Vegeta's tail tighten around her wrist when they entered the living room, and proceeded to the kitchen where everyone was gathered.

"Hey Blue! Hey Vegeta!" Goku greeted as he scooped Bulma up into a fluff filled hug! Effectively removing Bulma from Vegeta's tail hold.

Bulma laughed as the air was squeezed from her lungs. Goku always did that to her when she was wearing her snow suit. He said she reminded him of a giant marshmallow.

'Leave it to Goku to compare me to food.' She laughed again as he set her on her feet.

Vegeta growled at the contact, and he glanced over at Chi Chi to see her reaction. The fact that she wasn't even paying attention, and was more interested in conversing with the Blond Bimbo about cooking surprised him.

'She is either an idiot, blind, or just plain oblivious.' Vegeta thought as he glared daggers at the younger male.

"So, Bulma, where are the sleds? Or, are we gonna go balls out first?" Krillin asked as he munched on a cookie, and took a sip of milk.

Bulma placed a finger over her lips as she thought about the options.

"I don't care really. I told Vegeta about snow ballin, but ya'll can make the choice." Bulma said as she took a cookie, and munched it slowly. She scanned the kitchen at all the occupants, and grunted as she realized something.

"HM. Hey, where's Yaumcha and Candy?" Bulma asked as she noticed the two "love birds" were missing.

"Yaumcha and Candy are doing their own thing. They may stop by later when we come inside. Candy didn't want to play in the snow, and get her hair and makeup messed up He left the island not too long before us." Oolong said through a mouthful of cookie.

Everyone grimaced at the spectacle.

"Oolong, swallow then speak! You are such a pig!" Bulma said as she smacked him upside the head causing him to nearly choke on his food.

Tien and Chaoutsu exchanged glances as they both noticed Vegeta as he stood rigid, and silent behind Bulma while eyeballing everyone in the room as if he were debating on whether or not to go off. Despite everything that had happened, Goku and Bulma seemed completely at ease around the older male, but they still had their reservations. Vegeta looked like he was on the verge, and it was hard for them to stand by, and not do anything. Bulma was standing right next to him. If he got mad; he could snap her like a twig, and she wasn't even worried.

"Ya, that sounds like Candy. Psshh, honestly Bulma, you're a great girl, and he's an idiot to have treated you like shit." Krillin said as he gave Bulma a lopsided smile; a faint blush tinting his cheeks.

She returned the smile with one of her own. "Thanks K. you're a great friend.

After the exchange an awkward silence settled on the room, but Krillin, the ever faithful, was the one to break it.

"Why don't we go ballin? I don't know about any of ya'll, but I've got a score to settle with you Bulma. That ice was fucking cold as hell!" Krillin laughed as he threw a piece of his cookie at her.

Squish!

All eyes turned, even Bulma's when Vegeta's hand shot out, and caught the piece of cookie before it could make contact with Bulma's hair. He fisted it for a second before a smirk formed on his face, and he flicked the crumb back at Krillin.

The cookie piece bounced of Killen's bald head, and landed on the floor in front of Kane's dog bed. The dog raised his head, and in one swift motion ate the cookie before returning to his nap by the oven.

Everyone burst out laughing, and Bulma, gently punched him in the shoulder as a way of thanking him for being social, even if he didn't realize it.

Vegeta cast Bulma a glance out of the corner of his eye before returning his gaze back toward the rest of the group. He felt uneasy around them, and he could smell their apprehension around him which only intensified his insecurities. He'd never really interacted with anyone outside of battle aside from Bulma, and Kakkarot. He didn't know how to hold a normal conversation, ask questions about people he didn't care about, or even make small talk. How the hell was he supposed to get along with these people? Their laughter was irritating his already frayed nerves. He didn't know them, and they didn't know him, and he was pretty sure they didn't want to get to know him. Well, the feeling was mutual.

"GRRRRRRRRR"

Bulma's elbow caused his growl to die in his throat before anyone else could hear him. She glared at him over her shoulder, and shot him the warning glare that she was oh so famous for.

"Ok, let's get a move on. The cookies will be here when we get back. Then we can get changed into comfy clothes, do some Karaoke, and I'll make my hot chocolate." Bulma squealed as she ran to the back door; smacking Goku upside the head, and grabbing a rather irritated looking Chi Chi by her fluffy pink arm to drag her out too.

The guys all chuckled as they ran after Bulma and Chi Chi's retreating forms leaving Vegeta to stand in the middle of the kitchen staring and blinking after them. He couldn't understand how one tiny woman could hold so much power over the supposed saviors of the earth. One command and they were following behind her like loyal lap dogs. Hell, even Kakkarot had sprinted after the female.

"GRRRRRRRR"

Vegeta clenched his fists, and wrapped his tail around his waist. Without Bulma standing so close by he was feeling a little chilled. God he hated cold weather and snow.

'Stupid fucking snow. Stupid fucking cold.' He growled in his head as he followed after the group toward the back yard. He had a feeling that this little outing wasn't going to end well. He just hoped he could reign himself in; if only for the woman's sake.

When everyone was standing in the foot deep snow just on the edge of the woods, Bulma explained the rules; mostly for Vegeta's sake.

"Alright, basic rules apply. No ice balls, indoors is out of bounds, time outs shall be honored, and no powers. Other than that, free for all!" Bulma said as she molded the snow into a perfectly rounded sphere, and tossed it up and down.

"Ok, whose it then." Krillin asked as he looked aroud.

SPLACK

"AHHHH FUCK!" Krillin yelled as he swiped the snow off his face. He should have seen that one coming a mile away. He grumbled to himself as he leaned against one of the GR legs, and started counting.

* * *

Nearly an hour later, and a few scuffles between Vegeta and Goku later, the game was over, and everyone started gathering near the GR.

"BULMA! COME ON OUT! WE'RE DONE!!!" Chi Chi hollered off to nowhere in particular.

"HA HA! I WIN!" Bulma said as she poked her head down from one of the nearby trees. She lowered herself to the ground, and walked over to the gang with a self satisfied grin across her face.

"So. What was all the yelling about guys?" Bulma asked when she saw Vegeta standing a ways away with his arms crossed, tail lashing behind him, and a shit eating smirk across his face. She looked down, and couldn't help the humor that she felt when she saw her best friend sitting on the ground sporting the beginnings of a black eye, and an already bloody nose.

"Well, someone got drilled." Bulma said as she yanked an icecickle off the GR, and handed it to her friend.

"Ya, apparently someone forgot one of the rules about no powers." He said bitterly as he glared up at the older male while grabbing a handful of snow and wiping his nose before accepting the ice for his eye.

"Aw, quit being a baby." She laughed as he pouted like a child.

"Ya, Goku's a little bitter." Chaoutsu said on the edge of chuckling.

"Really? I never would have guessed, tell me, what brought our dear friend down?" Bulma asked as she laughed, and ruffled Goku's hair, causing Goku to jerk away with an embarrassed humph.

"Goku hit Vegeta with a snowball after he'd said he wasn't playing. Tien laughed out as he watched Goku glare daggers at the older Saiyan.

Everyone chuckled at that. They all knew Goku, and they were surprised that Vegeta had taken the younger Saiyan's inability to take a no for an answer, as well as he had.

"Well, leave it to Vegeta." Gohan laughed as he patted his father's back reassuringly. Goku merely offered up a sarcastic smile.

"Well, what else were you expecting? It is Vegeta after all." Krillin laughed as he smacked Vegeta on the back good naturedly.

Vegeta's eyes widened in surprised before narrowing dangerously. He slowly turned his head to glare down at the oblivious monk, and Bulma, seeing what was about to happen, threw her half melted snowball directly at his face.

SPLUSH!!!

A unanimous gasp rang out from the z team. All except Goku, and Piccolo were surprised by the blue haired human's antics.

Vegeta let out a startled grunt when the cold snow made contact with his face, effectively snapping him out of his murderous thoughts. He swiped the cold off his face as quickly as possible, but wasn't quick enough to remove the cold burn it left in its wake.

", if you value your appendages, I suggest you not ever do that again!" Vegeta growled as he snorted at her, his breath coming out in puffs against the cold.

"Ya, whatever fuzz butt. Come on guys, I freezing. Let's go back to the house and party." Bulma suggested as she brushed her wet gloves off on her ski pants.

"Sounds good, blue. I think my ass is starting to freeze." Goku said as stood from the snow, and pulled the nearly melted ice away from his eye, and tossed it to the snow. Satisfied, he led the group back toward the house.

THWAK!!!

"OUCH!"

"GOKU, WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE!!!" Chi Chi erupted after thwacking her husband up side the back of his head.

Everyone laughed at the cowed expression on his face as he rubbed the back of his head, but Bulma and Vegeta were both able to read the underlying emotions in his eyes. He was none too thrilled that she'd smacked him, and even less pleased that she'd scolded him like a child in front of the others. Bulma knew that outside of battle, Goku hated being hit. He hated it even worse that his wife felt the need to treat him like a complete idiot. He may not be the quickest person alive, but he was a lot more intuitive than everyone believed him to be, well, everyone other than Bulma.

"Hn. She'll get what's coming to her one of these days if she keeps that up. Just you watch, even Kakkarot has his limits. He is a Saiyan after all." Vegeta whispered to Bulma as he came up behind her.

"He won't hurt her, he loves her, but you are right. He will go off on her one of these days." Bulma said as she looked at him over her shoulder. As much as she liked Chi Chi, she couldn't help but be annoyed by her at the same time. Bulma was well aware of Goku's dislike of her ill treatment towards him, and she couldn't believe after being married to the man for so many years that she hadn't realized that about her own husband.

Vegeta shrugged his shoulders and snorted before turning to head back toward the house. Everyone else had already started making their way back to the warmth that awaited them in the kitchen, and he was more than happy to shed his wet clothing, and warm himself by one of the many fire places in the place, even if that meant enduring the idiocy that was sure to follow.

"Hey, wait for me." Bulma called out as she abandoned her thoughts to chase after Vegeta and the others.

Vegeta's pace slowed to a halt, and he looked over his shoulder to make sure she was coming. Once she was by his side he continued his trek back; his tail sneaking out to wrap around her waist.

Bulma blushed, and looked down at the slightly wet, yet warm appendage wrapped around her mid section. Her gaze then traveled up to his face, and she had a sneaking suspicion that he wasn't even aware that he'd done it. She gently reached down to wipe some melted snow from the fur, and let out some air when the tail tightened its grip on her.

"Woman, cut it out." Vegeta rumbled, his breath puffing out into the cold air as he turned to regard her with an unreadable expression. His voice sounded tired, and it lacked the usual gruffness.

"Hey, you doing alright fuzz butt?" Bulma asked as she pulled off her gloves, and shoved them in her coat pocket.

The glare she received spoke volumes. Apparently he was still a little cross at her for the snowball. Sensing his agitation, Bulma decided silence was her best course of action. She simply kept walking along till they reached the back door.

"AHHHH, HAHAHAHAHAH!!!"

"CHUG, CHUG, CHUG!!!"

"OOOOHHHHH"

Vegeta's ears perked as they entered the kitchen, and he shut the door behind them. He noticed the pile of discarded snow apparel lying in a wet, mushy pile that overflowed the clothes hamper beside the door.

"Just throw your wet stuff there, and my mom will wash it later." Bulma said as she shrugged out of her coat, and shimmied out of her snow pants, leaving nothing but her black shirt, and ripped jeans.

Following suit, Vegeta shrugged out of his wet clothes, and tossed them on the already huge pile. He was left in a pair of black sweats with a white stripe down the side, and a black thermal shirt.

"AAAAHHHHHH, THAT DID NOT HAPPEN!!"

Vegeta's ears perked and his tail twitched as he turned, curious, toward the kitchen entrance. The random screams of disbelief were enough to draw him in. He entered, and leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed, and his tail swinging lazily behind him as a small smirk crossed his face while Bulma proceeded toward the stove, and began fiddling with a large cauldron that was simmering atop it.

"No more… Chi. you're done." Krillin said as he slid a shot glass away from the giggling woman's reach.

Somehow Goku and Chi Chi had engaged in a hot Taddie drinking contest. Unfortunately, Goku may have been the world's strongest fighter, but he was also the world's biggest light weight. Three drinks in, and he'd tapped out; not wanting to end the party before it really started.

"Aww come on Krillin. I'm good, I promise!" Chi Chi tried to reason as she stole Krillin's boggan, and set it atop her head; giggling uncontrollably all the while.

After Goku had tapped out, the guys had all become engrossed in an extremely heated game of Egyptian Rat Screw. Every so often when doubles came along; everyone jumped and slammed their hands onto the middle pile. Lucky for Mrs. Brief's kitchen table they were very careful despite their enthusiasm.

Vegeta's nose twitched, and he licked his lips as he slowly made his way toward the stove where Bulma was busy adding some cream colored liquid from a brown jug.

"Hey Fuzz Butt!" Bulma smiled as she set the jug down, and began to stir the pot's contents; taking little tastes on her spoon ever so often.

"What is this?" Vegeta asked as he pointed to the brown liquid in the pot.

"That's my famous Bailey's hot chocolate. You wanna try some?" She asked as she stirred the pot.

Vegeta nodded his head, and watched as the woman retrieved a mug from the cupboard, and poured some of the warm brown liquid into it.

"Here ya go." Bulma said as she handed the mug over, crossed her arms, and stared at him intently.

Vegeta stared at her for a second before taking a sip of the warm liquid. He held it in his mouth for a few seconds to savor the taste before allowing the beverage to flow smoothly down his throat.

"Well? What do ya think?" Bulma asked as she watched Vegeta stare into his mug.

"What's in this?" He asked as he furrowed his brows.

"Bailey's. It's an alcoholic beverage with a hint of mint flavor, but don't worry. I don't add very much; just enough for the taste." Bulma said as she watched him nod his head before taking another sip from the mug.

Vegeta relished the feeling of the warm liquid as it warmed him from the inside out. He looked down at the little female who was leaning against the stove; watching the game of ERS that was under way. She smiled and giggled occasionally at her friend's antics, and interjected her own witty comments ever so often causing the whole group to burst out laughing.

Vegeta didn't mind not being included in the conversation or the game that was being played. He was content to enjoy his drink, the feel of Bulma's ki radiating warmth from beside him, and just being comfortable. He hadn't thought he would be able to relax surrounded by the Earthling warriors, but he'd been surprised. They were very easy going, and had allowed him to cohabitate with them without forcing him to interact. It worked best for all, and for the woman's sake, he was glad that they knew their boundaries with him. It was still a little odd to him that humans from different packs, and different areas were still capable of coming together, and finding some form of common amusement. Aside from battle, most Saiyan's stuck to their own village or family unit; they really had no need to socialize with others unless they needed something the other had. However, as in this exchange; the human's and other sentient life forms were gathering in the woman's kitchen, surrounding the table throwing down cards and freaking out every so often. He couldn't help his amused curiosity. This really was almost too much for him to take, especially with his instincts raging at him to stay alert. The female's drink wasn't helping his cause any either; she'd managed to slip him two of her hot taddies, and he was feeling more than a little tipsy. It was setting him on edge, but he was doing well to remain still despite his instincts screaming at him to do otherwise. Being surrounded by warriors while intoxicated wasn't exactly his idea of fun.

Clang.

The sound of his mug being slammed unceremoniously on the counter went virtually unnoticed by the occupants of the room as they concentrated on a particularly large hand that was being played; motor skills dwindling by the second as the alcohol began to take effect.

Vegeta allowed his tail to snake around Bulma's waist as they stood against the stove. He really didn't care if she noticed or not; he just needed the feeling; it was comforting in a way. He'd learned that chewing his tail was best left for private company. Apparently he'd be made fun of for some strange reason he was unaware of by a passing employee who, through no fault of his own, went missing two days later. He just didn't feel like drawing that kind of attention to himself, especially when the other humans were shit faced drunk.

Upon feeling contact Bulma cast a glance toward Vegeta's face. He seemed extremely at ill at ease, for him anyways, but was watching to ERS game with interest. She frowned. Something was bothering him as he watched them play. It was almost as if he was having trouble seeing straight. She doubted that he'd had too much to drink, but maybe she was wrong; Goku was out after three. She was about to ask what it was that was bothering him when his features immediately morphed back into his normal scowl. She could hear the beginning of a growl in his throat, and was baffled at what had caused his immediate change. One minute he was anxious and curious, the next on guard and pissed off.

'Wonder what set him off?' She thought warily as she tried to figure out what was causing him to freak out so she could remove it.

She cast her eyes toward the table, and noticed that at some point Candy and Yaumcha had walked through the front door, and were standing in the doorway opposite them; arms wrapped around one another, and cheering Krillin on while he quickly flipped his card, and readied for the next. She rolled her eyes, and cast Vegeta a second glance. Sure enough his stare was now fixated on Yaumcha, and ever so often he was checking Candy's position as well, keeping both well within his sights.

'If I'd known they would do this to him, I'd have not invited them.' Bulma thought as she sighed, and slowly started stroking his baby soft fur to try and calm/reassure him.

The growl died in his throat, and his hackles lowered as he felt the female's hands on his tail. Despite his desire for her to maintain her distance from that particular area, he was already too agitated for anything else to be a problem. He leaned back into the stove, and retrieved his mug from the counter, shoving it into her hands.

Bulma glared at him, but complied with the silent request. He was behaving very well for her sake, and she knew it. She wasn't about to push him, especially when he was at a point where just about anything could start a fight.

"Here, watch it. I think this mug is a little warmer than the last one I gave you." Bulma mused as she handed over the sweet treat extended in her right hand; her own mug in her left.

"HN"

Vegeta shot Bulma a glare before taking a sip from his newly filled mug. How he hated when she used human formalities on him. She knew damn good and well that he couldn't be burned by a hot liquid.

"HEY!! VEGETA!!! BULMA!!!"

Bulma's eyes widened as she took a sip, and forced the hot liquid down her throat as she watched a very inebriated Candy stagger her way around the table; dipping her breasts so Roshi was able to get a good look, as she moved toward where they were standing. Bulma caught Yaumcha's equally terrified stare from across the room. Apparently he'd learned his lesson about fucking with Vegeta, and had attempted to keep a tight leash on his bitch. Unfortunately, for Candy or Vegeta, Bulma wasn't exactly sure; she had managed to slip the lead.

"Hey there! Bulma, great party! I just love your hot tittys" Candy giggled as she playfully slapped Bulma's shoulder, nearly causing the irritated hostess to spill her own drink; earning the drunken red head a low warning growl from Vegeta that went unnoticed by everyone but Bulma.

"Actually, they're called hot taddies, Candy, and how many did you have exactly?" Bulma asked as she attempted to swat the other woman away.

"Well, Yammy and I had a few drinks at the bar, and I think I had two here, but whose counting. We're supposed to be having fun!" Candy said. She'd been trying to slip her arm around Bulma's neck the entire time, and Bulma'd be damned if she let the crazy drunken Bitch hang all over her. Candy had already succeeded in pouring her beer all over her shirt; soaking it. She was just glad she'd chosen a black shirt.

Realizing that Bulma didn't want to be her drunk buddy, Candy set her eyes on the closest body.

"Hey Vegeta, how's the training going, Ohhh, I think it's going well, don't you Bulma? I mean, check out these muscles" Candy slurred as she staggered around Bulma who raised her mug above the other woman's head to avoid her knocking it out of her hands.

Bulma's face was a combination of disgust, desperation, anger, and mortification as she reached out to try and swat Candy away from her next target before she made contact; unfortunately she was unsuccessful due to her lack of coordination caused by her alcohol consumption.

'She's a dead woman.' Was the only thought that registered in the young heiress's mind as Candy draped herself across Vegeta's chest with her arms around his neck. She watched in horror as Vegeta's eyes widened, his hackles raised, his body tensed, and he held his arms out as if debating on whether or not to knock her away. Unfortunately for Candy, as she'd made her declaration, she'd slid her finger down his chest, to his abs, and finally her booze brain decided it was a good idea and grabbed his still injured tail, hard.

Vegeta let out a startled yell of indignation and pain before grabbing the drunken woman by the throat, and ripping her from his body holding her a few inches from his person.

Everyone at the table swiftly stood, except Goku, who'd been passed out by Chi Chi's chair from the alcohol.

Vegeta's teeth were gnashing as he glared at Candy unseeing. His low growl vibrated through the now quiet room. He was completely furious, embarrassed, and ready to kill the red haired bitch for daring to grope him. Without thinking his grip tightened, and he didn't even notice the multiple hands on him attempting to pull him off the suffocating female.

"Vegeta, she's drunk, she didn't know what she was doing." Yaumcha said as he leapt over the table, attempting to free his new girlfriend from the 250 plus pounds of corded steel that was wrapped around her neck.

Krillin, Tien, Chaoutsu, and Chi Chi were all trying in vain to pry Candy's now limp body from Vegeta's grasp, each calling out his name, swearing at him, and pounding on him in attempts to release his death grip.

"GOKU, WAKE UP AND HELP US!!!" Chi Chi yelled at her husband who was still passed out.

Bulma stood shell shocked. She couldn't move. Everything seemed to be happening so fast, yet so slow at the same time. She watched as her friends tried in vain to pry Vegeta's hands from around Candy's neck, she saw Candy's face turn three shades of blue before her eyes closed, and her head lulled to the side. She vaguely was aware of her friend's cries and pleas for Goku's assistance, but she doubted the other male would make the situation any better. She needed to act, and fast. She had to calm Vegeta down before he reached the point of no return, and snapped Candy's neck like a twig.

His whole body was visibly shaking, and his tail trembling as he fought to regain his control. It was as if he was having an out of body experience. He was aware of the multitude of hands clawing at his arms, but for some reason he just couldn't let go. He wanted to snap the disgusting bitch's neck. He roared as he shouldered the tiny monk off his neck, and gnashed his teeth at Yaumcha, nearly biting a chunk out of the scared up warrior's face, when he attempted to grab hold of his tail. He tightened his grip, and felt the now limp woman's throat give way. All he had to do was apply just a fraction more pressure, and he'd feel the satisfying crack of her pathetic neck. Her vile assault on his person brought back memories that plagued him in his darkest of dreams, and as he struggled in vain to rid the humiliating images from his head, he dropped his guard for a fraction of a second.

"Vegeta, don't."

Vegeta's eyes widened a fraction of an inch still blurry and unseeing, and drifted to his left. A very cold, tiny hand was pressed against his right cheek, and applying just enough pressure to make him lose focus on his kill.

"Grrrrr" Vegeta let out a guttural warning as he bared his teeth at Bulma. He'd behaved according to their agreement the day he'd taken up residence, but even he had a breaking point. There were some things he just wouldn't tolerate, and after being raped, molested, and forced to endure a multitude of other humiliations at the hands of his former master; Vegeta couldn't take it anymore.

"Vegeta, please, let her go. Don't do this." Bulma pleaded in a soft voice as she rested her hand over his shaking forearm trying to encourage him to let her go. His arm was soo much warmer than her hand, and she felt as if her entire body was on fire. That was when she realized it was his ki she was feeling.

Vegeta growled at the contact of another cold hand against his heated flesh, and he lowered his ki when he watched her eyes narrow in discomfort. There was a reason why she felt so cold, and it was just now that he realized that he'd raised a ki shield to protect himself from the assault of the other fighters.

"Vegeta, look at me. I need you to look at me." Bulma pleaded as she attempted to force his head to turn toward her.

He shook his head, closed his eyes, and lowered his ki back to normal. He then slowly opened his eyes to look Bulma in the eye, and was surprised to see the fear in her eyes once again. He ground his teeth together, but loosened his grip on Candy's throat just enough for Yaumcha to pry her neck free, and haul her into his arms, and across the room away from the enraged Saiyan.

"Candy?" Yaumcha asked as he felt her pulse under his fingers. It was weak, but still there. She had a few nasty bruises forming on her neck, but at least the color was returning to her face. He turned to glare daggers at Vegeta as he watched the other Z fighters remove their hands from his person and take a few steps back, letting Bulma calm the raging male as he stood panting in the middle of the floor like a rabid dog. He couldn't understand how Bulma could remain so calm around the crazy Saiyan. He succeeded in nearly killing Candy, and it was obvious that he had planned on following through had no one intervened when they did.

Yaumcha sneered as he watched his ex girlfriend take hold of the other male's hand while using her other hand against his cheek to force him to look at her. The fact that she seemed more concerned about Vegeta's well being rather than the girl who nearly died; lying limp in his arms infuriated him. How dare she, how dare HE!

"What the hell is your problem, Vegeta? She's drunk; chicks do a lot of stupid things when they're drunk. She didn't mean anything by it. You're such a spaz. What are you, gay or something?! Can't take a little attention from a woman?" Yaumcha yelled at the disgruntled man who was still trying to catch his breath, and looking at his ex for reassurance; like some lost little puppy. However, once his words reached the angry Saiyan's ears, it was as if someone had flipped his kill switch once again, and he growled as he tore himself away from Bulma, knocking her on her ass in the process.

"You got something to say to me little boy, why don't you say it to my face." Vegeta growled out in a low deadpan voice as he squared up to the now trembling Z fighter. The lack of emotion in his voice, and the steel in his gaze speaking volumes to the other occupants in the room; he was on the verge of a total mental break down.

"Bulma, do something before he decides to blow us all to kingdom come." Chi Chi whispered as she stood panic stricken behind her blue haired friend.

Bulma sat on the floor just as panic stricken. She and Goku were probably the only two people aware of what had happened to that village of people, and if she had learned anything about Vegeta from that; it was that a calm Vegeta, was a deadly Vegeta. Yaumcha was treading on thin ice, and it was starting to crack.

"GOKU!" Bulma screamed from her spot on the floor as she watched Vegeta launch himself at the ex bandit, and tackle him to the floor; pinning him down with one knee, and sending Candy's unconscious body crashing to the floor with a bodily thump before bringing his fist down beside the terrified man's head as a warning.

The high pitched wail of his name startled the good natured Saiyan out of his drunken stupor, and a few seconds of clarity allowed him to somehow drag himself from the cold tile, and plow into Vegeta from his blind side, and knock him senseless for a few seconds.

"Yaumcha, get your bitch, and get the fuck out of here, NOW!" Goku yelled on the verge of growling. His head swimming, and his stomach revolting against the sudden movement.

Everyone but Bulma stood shocked at the sudden change in Goku's demeanor. No one had ever seen this side of him, but Bulma was well aware of it. She was probably the only person who knew that he was not always what he let the others believe him to be. However, he'd meant what he'd said before, and the current situation seemed to sober the younger male up quicker than cold water to the face. The look on his face clearly indicated that he meant business.

"Back off Vegeta. She's too stupid to know any better." Goku said as he finally stepped in, strategically positioning himself between Vegeta and his intended targets. He cast a glance to his left, and watched as Yaumcha gathered Candy in his arms; eager for him to make a hasty retreat before Vegeta lost it again. He watched as Vegeta gathered himself up to his full height, and the two once again stood toe to toe, glaring daggers; each willing the other to back down. He attempted to body block Vegeta back a little toward Bulma; hoping his friend was able to help out. Kami knew he wasn't in any shape to be fighting. The room had started to spin once again, and he knew he was close to passing out.

"Shit, this isn't good.' Goku thought as he stared into the enraged eyes of his rival.

Yaumcha wasted no time in hoisting Candy into his arms, and high tailing it from the property the minute Goku had intervened. As much as he hated to admit it, Vegeta had been perfectly fine until Candy had gone and pushed things too far. He'd have to remember to apologize to the older male later. He may not like Vegeta, but he had to respect the restraint shown. Yaumcha knew damn good and well that Vegeta could have blasted Candy into oblivion without causing any damage to the rest of the fighters at the table. He was just too shocked to gather his wits fast enough, or something else held him back. Maybe Bulma was right, maybe he was changing… Nah.

Vegeta's eyes were unseeing, and his pupils had enlarged to such an extent that the color of his irises couldn't be seen as he struggled to maintain his composure. His instincts screaming at him to end the red haired female's existence; he growled a low warning as he stared his rival down.

Everyone in the kitchen waited with baited breath. A few casting unsure glances at Bulma to see if she would attempt to intervene. It was after all her house, and for some strange reason Vegeta seemed to listen to her even when Goku couldn't get through to him.

The silent showdown between the two men ended after a few short seconds.

"Out of my way, Kakkarot." Vegeta growled as he tried to side step the younger male; knocking him off balance momentarily; not going unnoticed by the elder Saiyan.

"They're gone Vegeta, just let it go. People do a lot of stupid things when they're drunk. Hell, she probably won't even remember it tomorrow." Goku tried to reason as he watched Vegeta's eyes remain focused on the last place he'd seen the two; as if debating on whether or not it was really worth it to fly after the weakling just to disembowel a wretch of a female Earthling.

"Hey, come back over here by me, Vegeta, and watch the guys finish their game. We can go watch a movie after, and you can unwind. She's a whore, and she's used to doing shit like that to men all the time. Come on, shake it off, she's just a stupid whore who can't hold her liquor." Bulma whispered as she placed one hand on his lower back and the other on his chest. She applied a little pressure on his chest, and was relieved when his eyes shot down to meet hers finally seeing her through his haze, and he allowed her to push him back.

The truth was, he wasn't in the best of shape to be fighting. He couldn't see for shit, and his head was starting to thump with the beginnings of a headache. The feel of her cool hands on his heated flesh sent goose bumps along his skin, and he inhaled her scent as she pushed him backward; allowing the sweet aroma to calm his frayed nerves. All he really wanted to do was sleep. He wanted everyone gone from the house; their fluctuating ki's were like nails on a chalk board inside his head.

Everyone watching the exchange, and Goku let out a sigh of relief when they saw Vegeta relent. They'd all thought he was going to fly off to murder Candy in her sleep. They didn't exactly blame him for his reaction either. None of them would have enjoyed a drunk chick grabbing their junk, well, technically his tail wasn't his junk, but they were well aware that a Saiyan's tail was just as sensitive. They especially didn't like Candy because not only was she a vulgar whore, she was annoying; especially when she was drunk. They figured that if they thought she was annoying; it had to be ten times worse for Vegeta because he thought everyone was annoying.

It wasn't a surprise to Goku that Vegeta allowed Bulma to sooth him after his near mental breakdown. The only thing that caused him concern was the look in the older Saiyan's eyes. He couldn't quite place it, and that bothered him. Vegeta was a troubled man, anyone could see that, but Goku was starting to suspect that whatever demons were still plaguing the older Prince, were going to rear their ugly heads sometime soon. Attacking Candy had been his knee jerk reaction, but his lack of control after was not normal for Vegeta. Goku vaguely wondered if the older Saiyan was finally starting to lose his mind. For Bulma's sake he hoped not, but Trunks didn't say anything about a loving family relationship between the two. He said it was a passion sort of thing. Goku knew that Bulma wouldn't be satisfied with something like that, and he hoped that whatever it was that was going to happen between the two in this timeline would be different than in Trunks. He wanted Bulma to be happy, and Goku was finding it harder and harder to stand by, and watch, when he knew the future outcome.

"Dude, anyone know where the king of hearts went? That was on the top of the deck, oh, never mind, I found it!" Oolong asked as he held up the card before placing it on the table.

Bulma turned wide, and somewhat surprised eyes toward her friends. She'd half expected them to bail at the first sign of trouble regarding Vegeta, but it was as if his homicidal outburst wasn't anything out of the ordinary. She cast Chi Chi a questioning look, and the brunet simply shrugged her shoulders as if to say 'Shit happens' before walking over, and whispering her reply in the heiresses ear.

"Personally I think she had it coming. I may not like Vegeta, but I think all of us can understand his reaction to being groped. He doesn't like being around people period; I guess we've all learned to accept certain things from Vegeta. Well, as long as he isn't killing anyone." She chuckled before retreating back toward the table where her husband was standing.

To say Bulma was surprised at her friend's forgiveness would be an understatement. She was amazed, and thrilled at the same time. However, she doubted they would have even come to her party had they been informed of his earlier incidents. Slowly she turned her gaze toward Vegeta, and couldn't help the pang of sympathy she felt when she looked into his eyes. She could see the myriad of emotions warring for dominance in his eyes. He was furious, embarrassed, disturbed, and unsure of himself. He was looking around the room at all the people with wide, wild eyes. She knew he was exercising all his self control, and was pleasantly surprised that he hadn't immediately bolted from the kitchen to the sanctuary of his room or the GR.

The guys all set their game back to the way it was before the commotion, and resumed where they left off as if nothing had happened. Goku had decided he needed to lie down on the couch in the den before the alcohol did him in, and Chi Chi had agreed to accompany him. She'd put Gohan to bed a few hours ago, and knew that he wouldn't wake till morning. She didn't say one word to her husband about anything that happened just moments earlier, for the first time in their years of marriage, she'd seen something deep within her husband that she'd never known was there. She didn't really have much tact with things, but even she knew when to leave well enough alone.

When Vegeta was settled back against the stove, Bulma smiled up at him apologetically. She gently rubbed her hand across his chest, and gave him a gentle pat as a way of appeasing him, and tapped her hands against his to get him to loosen his clenched fists before tapping his nose to gain his full attention.

"Hey, look at me Mr." She said in a less than amused tone.

"HN!" Vegeta grunted, and turned his head away. He wasn't interested in her attempts to sooth him, and win him over. He was still agitated. Just because he let the red bitch go, and allowed her to resume her party, didn't mean he wasn't still rather put out by the whole experience. He'd never had a female do that to him, and frankly, he felt rather uncomfortable with the whole thing.

"Hey, look. I'm really sorry about that. I should have known she was going to go after you when I pushed her off. Don't be mad, please?" Bulma pleaded as she moved to stand in front of him, giving him her best set of puppy dog eyes.

Vegeta snorted at her attempt, and stared at her with the most hateful look he could muster.

"I've killed more for less, and you're trying to persuade me with that? You of all people should know what I'm capable of. I'm not one of your weak human friends woman. I'm a killer, and you're lucky that Kakkarot is too trashed to fight or I'd take my frustration out on him." Vegeta stated coldly as he stared at her to make sure his words sunk in before glaring daggers at the wall.

"Vegeta, don't say things like that. You promised!" Bulma whispered out in a morose way. She knew very well what he was capable of, but for one day, up until everything blew up, she'd forgotten just exactly who and what he was. She'd seen him as a man, a lost and lonely man who had a terrible past, and just needed a friend. Now, she was reliving that terrible night in her head, and the worst part of it was, that look of detachment was back in his eyes, and it terrified her.

'I'm losing him.' She thought sadly as she watched him collapse in on himself once again, shutting out anything, and anyone who may wish him harm.

" Listen, I know things are hard for you right now, and that living here is a lot different than what you're used to, but please Vegeta, don't do anything you'll regret. Please." Bulma pleaded as she went out on a limb with him, and leaned herself against his chest similar to the way Candy had earlier. However, she crossed her arms, and laid her head against her folded hands and stared at him with a pleading expression.

Flexing his chest where she'd laid against him absently Vegeta continued to stare at her with his tired and guarded expression. He didn't want to take his frustration out on the little female in front of him so he did his best to look as passive as he could; despite his feeling otherwise. He didn't want her touching him, hell, he didn't want anyone near him, but for some reason he stayed rooted to his spot against the warm stove. He studied her for a moment. She was shaking slightly against his frame, and her expression was guarded. She refused to maintain eye contact with him, and he frowned as he realized that once again, he'd frightened her. His eyes softened slightly as he sighed in exasperation. He just couldn't win with her.

'Why do you worry so, little one? My soul isn't even worth saving?' He though bitterly as he thought about all the innocent lives he'd taken, and the one he'd almost added to the list. He didn't understand how after all she'd seen him do, that a tiny female like her could still stand to even look at him; let alone care enough to try and save him from his own self destruction despite her deep seeded fear of him. He wondered briefly if she'd ever stop fearing him.

"It isn't anything you need to concern yourself with. What I do is my business, not yours, just be glad that I honor my words, or that whore would be dead." He said sourly, trying to scare Bulma away from him. He didn't like the feeling of regret she was causing to rise in his chest nor the way she was staring at him. He felt smothered by it all.

Bulma's brow furrowed as she turned her eyes to search his.

"I don't believe you." She said matter of factly before sighing heavily, and wrapping her arms around his waist, and resting her head against his chest in a defeated manner. It wasn't really a hug, and anyone looking on wouldn't mistake it as an intimate embrace. It was as if Bulma was using him for support physically, when it was her mind, and heart that were failing her. That was the only reason she could give for Vegeta allowing her the liberty.

"What am I going to do with you, Vegeta? You're going to be the death of me one way or another I guarantee it." She said in a tired and dejected voice.

Vegeta couldn't help the small smirk that made its way to his lips as he watched the female rest her head against his chest. He was wearing her ragged, and he knew it. She was trying her hardest to be patient with him, and help him, yet his constant state of unrest was clearly taking its toll on her. He'd met many creatures in his life, but she was truly unique. He'd never seen a woman with a stronger mind, and spirit despite her extreme lack of physical strength. He attempted to reign in his roving emotions. As much as he hated to admit it, he didn't want her to fear him, and he most certainly didn't want to cause her any pain or sadness. She'd done nothing wrong by him, and he couldn't, for anything, break his promise to her, or himself.

"Grrrr, come over here, and quit that. Alright, are you happy now? Insatiable wench. You owe me a new GR upgrade for the trouble you've caused me tonight." Vegeta rumbled affectionately as he pulled her off his chest gently, and placed her back beside him against the stove.

'Little minx will be the death of me, not the other way around.' He thought as he stared down at her for a moment. She truly was more Saiyan-like than any other female he'd met. She had just leaned up against him in order to appease him, but unintentionally covered the red haired female's foul stench with her own. It was a little disconcerting how much he liked having her scent mingled with his own. However, he was very aroused at the fact that she'd used her own scent to cover him. He wasn't sure she had intended to scent mark him, but he couldn't resist the thoughts that his mind conjured up at just the probability. Humans didn't have as highly developed sensory organs as Saiyan's, and they didn't scent mark their mates, children, or pack mates. However, this was the woman he was dealing with. She knew more about Saiyan's and their behavior than any other creature in the known galaxy.

The two stood against the oven in companionable silence as they watched the others finish up their rowdy game of ERS. Bulma cast a glance in his direction as he slowly sipped his hot chocolate. His eyes were distant, and she couldn't help but wonder what was going through his mind.

Seeing as how he was lost in his own thoughts, she took the opportunity to study him. Despite his seemingly blank stare, his eyes were very expressive though she doubted anyone really took the time to notice the subtleties. Everything about him intrigued her, and even though the others may not want to admit it; his personality was quite a bit different than they'd all originally though. He may be extremely aggressive, stubborn, socially backward, and mean, but he was extremely curious about his new surroundings, had a witty and mischievous sense of humor, and even though she may be the only one who could see it, a genuinely kind heart. If only she could get him to relax for once.

She sighed as she watched her friends finish up their game of ERS. Krillin had bowed out earlier after his hand ran out, and ran to retrieve some of the new release movies he'd gotten from his friend at the movie shop. They weren't supposed to be available for at least another week, but hey, that's one of the perks of having friends in convenient places. She couldn't help but feel that Vegeta was somehow fighting an inner battle with himself over things that happened in his past. She knew he was tortured by what he'd been through, if his room wasn't proof enough, but she just had this foreboding feeling that he just might be losing that fight. He was having a hard time adjusting to life on Earth, and an even harder time being around Goku for whatever reason. She had a feeling that there was more going on between the two males than what she was aware of. She just hoped that she wouldn't have to endure another heart breaking incident like she'd done when he'd killed those villagers. She knew that killing had become second nature to him, but all she wanted to do was show him that it didn't have to be. She was starting to think she'd bitten off a little more than she could chew with him.

'What am I doing? I don't have the fortitude to handle a man that's as fucked up as he is mentally.' She thought absently as she glanced at his scowling face. She wanted to help him, she truly did. The only problem was, if she was even capable of doing that, and what would the consequences be if she failed.

Author's Note: Ok, I'm really suffering from writer's block. This chapter is SHIT!!! I really don't know why I'm posting it as it is, but… alas… I just figured I'd give ya something to read. Please don't hate me, but I def. won't be updating for a while. I know where I want this to go, but for some reason I just can't seem to find the way there without taking a whole bunch of rabbit trails along the way. So, I'm just going to say that this is going to be a looooooooonnnnnnnggggg story, and I'm going to try and produce longer chapters so as to entertain and try and condense things. Well, next chapter we may find out what happens during the movie, and what's this… a sleep over with all her friends? Whatever will Vegeta do? Find out next time.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Unlikely Happenings?

Author's Note: Ok, kill me now. I'm really taking a nose dive on this one. I could use some of your input on where to go on this one. Please be constructive in your criticism, and offer suggestions. I can take your opinions, but please give me an option to go with those suggestions. Anyway, here is my latest attempt at a decent fanfic…lol. Please, read and review, but be gentle…lol.

Bulma set her mug down on the counter by Vegeta. He glanced down at her mug before casting her a confused look as she strolled away toward the bald headed monk who was crouched over a duffle bag. He watched as Krillin handed Bulma a few square plastic cases, and she examined the pictures on the front, and proceeded to read the writing on the back before passing them to the other warriors down a line

"Oh hey! I heard Zombie Land rocks!" Goku said as he held up the case for everyone to see.

"Ya know, I was thinkin about that one myself. It's supposed to be really funny, and I heard the special effects were actually pretty bang on. You guys can tell me if that review is true." Bulma laughed as she snatched the case from Goku's hand, bonked him on the nose and waved it around.

Goku chuckled as he rubbed his abused nose, but said nothing as he retrieved a pair of underwear from Krillin's bag, and shot them at the bald monk before laughing.

"Hey!" Krillin yelled as he quickly pulled the smiley face boxers off his head, and shoved them back into his duffle with a rosy blush on his face.

Vegeta cocked his head to the side as he regarded the group. Bulma's gall with the younger Saiyan was impressive. No female Saiyan would ever take anything away from a male; it was a sign of disrespect, and males were generally stronger. Male Saiyan's put up with a lot from their females, but out of self preservation they showed as much respect as the males were due. A mated female could get away with that as long as it was with her own mate, but an unmated female risked getting punched for such an offense. As social as Saiyans were, they were still a pretty aggressive people. Fights were extremely common. That was another thing that was different about Earth. Females had a bit more sway, and got away with murder on this planet. He was shocked when he found out that there was a general rule about males not hitting females on this planet even if they did something to deserve it. After the incident earlier, he didn't much agree with that particular rule.

Vegeta didn't know what they were doing, and what significance the square boxes had, but something perked his interest. His tail twitched around his waist, and he fought the urge as best he could, but despite his best effort, he couldn't win out against his greatest weakness… curiosity!

Bulma stiffened, and the hairs on her neck stood on end when a blast of warm breath fanned across her bare neck. She turned quick, looking over her shoulder, to find Vegeta staring at the DVD case in her hand with interest, apparently trying to read the cover. His eyes were scanning it with a perplexed look on his face. That was when it dawned on her. He couldn't read their writing.

"It's a DVD. You know, the movies on the TV?" Bulma said as she handed him the case so he could better examine it.

He accepted the square box with some apprehension, but examined it none the less. He wasn't familiar with the TV. The only time he'd really paid any attention to it was when he'd attempted to play that machine they called a video game. He looked up from the cover, and stared at her blankly.

Bulma interpreted the look, and rolled her eyes as she huffed and snatched the case out of his slack hands.

"Forever more. You need to pay more attention to things Vegeta. This movie is a zombie movie. It's basically the same concept as that game you were playing. Human's get infected and turned into crazy cannibalistic beasts that can only be killed by shooting or bashing them in the head." Bulma explained as she handed the case back to Goku.

"Hn." Vegeta grunted, crossing his arms, and turning his head from her in slight offense. Sure he remembered the game, but he resented her treating him like a child.

"Great. How bout we watch this one then. I heard it's hilarious." Goku said as he looked at the group for their response. When everyone nodded their heads, and gave a verbal affirmation he grinned, and walked out of the kitchen toward the basement where the in home theater room was located.

"Alright, you guys go get changed into your comfy clothes while I pop some popcorn, and get the snacks and beer prepared." Bulma said as she turned toward the cabinet next to the fridge, and rummaged around for the microwave popcorn.

Everyone filed out of the room, and Chi Chi headed toward the upstairs bathroom to change. The guys usually just changed in the theater room, and when they were kids it wasn't a big deal for her to change there as well. However, she was an adult now, and had grown up quite a bit. It was no longer appropriate for her to do so anymore.

Vegeta felt torn. He didn't know whether to follow the Z fighters or to stay with Bulma in the kitchen. He looked between the two rooms, and decided to stick close to his hostess. He didn't know what comfy clothes meant, and he wasn't sure he'd be able to remain social around the other males without Bulma's presence as a calm reminder to behave. He snorted in direction of the theater room before turning to reenter the kitchen.

"Woman, what the hell are comfy clothes per your definition." He asked as he strolled over to stand behind her while she pressed her forehead against the microwave to watch the popcorn bag expand and pop within.

Vegeta cocked his head, and tapped her on the shoulder with his tail when he received no response. His scowl morphed into a smirk when she jumped slightly at the contact, and mumbled a what as a response.

"Now who isn't being very observant?" He chided as he wrapped his tail around her waist, and pulled her face away from the hypnotic hum of the microwave. He stole a glance toward the kitchen entrance to make sure none of her friends were close by before pulling her back flush against his front; earning him a startled eep from the smaller female.

"Hey, cut it out. I was trying to make sure it didn't burn. I suck at making popcorn." Bulma pouted as she leaned forward in his grasp, trying to return to her previous position.

Vegeta chuckled at her antics before tightening his grip on her, and leaning to brace his arms against the counter on either side of her body; pinning her against the counter and his body.

"Answer my question, Woman." He rumbled in her ear as he inhaled her scent. An unfamiliar feeling settled in the pit of his stomach, and worked its way up into his chest when she leaned her back against his chest, and angled her face upward; her lips brushing his ear.

'Two can play that game, fuzz butt.' She thought as she smiled to herself when she felt his tail tighten around her waist, and his body stiffen at the contact.

"It's your pj's fuzz butt." She teased as she caught his gaze, and smiled coyly at him; waiting for his response.

Vegeta's eyes narrowed and he removed his tail from around her waist, but otherwise remained where he was.

"Why are the others getting dressed for bed? They don't sleep here." He growled out in irritation.

Bulma frowned at him before sighing, and slumping away from him. She leaning forward to retrieve the now finished bag of popcorn from the microwave to place in the bowl beside her on the counter; Vegeta's presence behind her slowly causing her to feel smothered.

Vegeta growled at her as he watched her place a second bag into the microwave, punch in a few buttons, and let out a harassed sigh; silently telling him his presence behind her was annoying her slightly.

"They're spending the night Vegeta. Get used to the idea. We always crash down stairs after a few movies. We have a few couches down there, some beanbags, and a few air mattresses. It's really fun. Loosen up, and just relax. No one is going to bother you; I promise." Bulma said as she cast him a reassuring look over her shoulder.

He frowned at her, and shook his head.

"I'm sleeping in my own quarters. I'll not sleep on the floor like some animal." He growled as he angrily pushed himself away from the counter; putting some distance between the two.

Bulma's eyes flashed with agitation. He was just trying to be difficult. She was trying to show him that the guys didn't mean him any harm, and that he could trust them as much as he did her. However, he wasn't even willing to try. That fact, irritated her more than anything.

"Look. I don't really care where you sleep, ok? Do whatever you want Vegeta, but I'm sleeping downstairs with my friends. If you want some company; you know where to find us." Bulma spat as she whipped open the cabinet next to her, and piled over a dozen bags of candy into cloth grocery bag she'd grabbed from the hook inside the door. She then slipped it over her left arm before taking both bowls of popcorn in her arms, and striding purposefully out of the kitchen, down the stairs, and out of sight.

Vegeta growled, and bared his teeth at her retreating back; his tail fuzzing in anger. She'd not shown such animosity toward him since he'd first arrived on her property, and it angered him as much at present as it did then. He clenched his fists trying to calm his raging temper. He really couldn't understand why he was soo angry with her. He'd obviously done something to anger her, but for the life on him he couldn't understand what.

'Stupid female' He thought as his tail lashed around behind him. He slowly made his way from the kitchen, and followed her scent down the stairs and into the first room on his right. He opened the winging doors, and stopped. He crossed his arms, and leaned against the doorframe, once again watching the goings on.

Bulma bent over, and set the snacks on a low round table that was positioned in the middle of the room.

SMACK!!!

"AHHHH. HEY!" Bulma yelled with a start as she covered her ass with both hands, and straightened with a start.

Chi Chi laughed behind her hand, and pointed at Goku, who was trying to debate on which snack he was going to eat first.

"Alright, that's it!" Bulma said as she grabbed her pillow, and took the open end in her hands while shaking her pillow down to the bottom of the case.

THWAK!

"OOMPH!!!"

Bulma's well aimed strike sent her pillow sailing into the back of Goku's head; toppling him over and sending his face into the popcorn bowl. He reared his head back, and smirked before reaching into his hair to retrieve a few pieces of popcorn, and throwing them at his best friend.

"Oh, that's how its gonna be huh?" He laughed before thwacking her gently with her own pillow.

"Ahh. Ok, Ok!!" She laughed before stealing her pillow back, and smoothing it back out.

After the little exchange between Goku and Bulma, Krillin, and Tien had started wrestling around on the floor; shoving each other's faces into the beanbags. Everyone was having fun just horsing around, but it wasn't until they heard the creak of the swinging doors, and felt Vegeta's ki that the guys stopped what they were doing to stare at him.

Vegeta felt even more awkward than he had before. Now, they were all staring at him instead of ignoring him. He much preferred being ignored. He wasn't a fan of all the attention. He growled in irritation, but held up the DVD case for all to see.

"Oh, I completely forgot about the movie. Thanks Vegeta." Goku said as he reached out, and took the DVD from his rival's hand, and tossed it to Krillin who immediately put it in the player.

Vegeta growled at Kakkarot's gall, but did nothing to stop him. He just sneered, and bared his teeth at the younger male before locking eyes with Bulma.

The minute his dark orbs made contact with her blue, she stuck her nose in the air, and turned her head from him in a display that said she was clearly still mad at him. She then stood from her seat, and marched past him, and up to her room.

He remained as neutral as he could as she brushed past him, but his tail betrayed him, and flicked at her ass before rewinding around his waist. He smirked when he heard her startled gasp; glad that at least he'd gotten her attention somehow.

'Who does he think he is? This is my house. I make the rules, not him.' Bulma thought furious, as she slammed her door behind her, and ripped open her pj drawer.

'Sigh, I don't know why I'm getting myself all worked up. He's not a human, he wasn't raised on Earth like Goku, and he doesn't understand the significance of friendship either. Sigh, I just wish that I could get through to him.' She sighed, all earlier anger dissipating when she remembered all the nightmare's he'd suffered through since staying with her. The light bulb finally came on, and she figured out that he probably didn't want to embarrass himself in front of the others by having a nightmare. She couldn't fault him for that.

"This should be good." She said to herself as she tossed her pjs on the bed, and stripped out of her clothes; leaving her in her black underwear and bra. She quickly retrieved her short red and black plaid snap front boxers, and the black spaghetti strap tank that went with it, and put them on quickly. She then donned her black low cut runner's socks, and ran down the stairs with her pillow to rejoin the group.

To her surprise Vegeta was still standing in the doorway watching the others eat, talk, laugh, and occasionally throw food at one another. He looked a little more than irritated, but she couldn't help but wonder if he'd ever been forced to sleep in the same room as others before, or if he was separated from contact in order to mess with his head.

Sighing to herself, she easily brushed past him without incident, and plopped herself back down into her overly large beanbag chair; snuggling under a nice warm blanket she'd pulled away from Tien. She stuck her tongue out at the three eyed warrior with a laugh, and ducked under the blanket when a few pieces of popcorn came sailing at her head.

Vegeta hadn't really been paying attention to anything. His mind had wandered somewhere else, but his eyes nearly bugged out of his head at the sight of the woman sauntering into the room with her ass cheeks practically hanging out, and her breasts nearly being on display through her shirt; while a few of her male friends cast very quick and discrete glances at her chest when she bent to gather some popcorn and candy from the table in front of her. Her beanbag was a little further away than she liked, and after securing her items, she inched it closer to allow for easier access.

He growled low in his throat before catching himself. He wasn't about to make a fool of himself over such a thing. However, she'd yet to even acknowledge his presences. He was slightly taken back by her behavior, and, not being one to take being ignored lightly; he pushed off the door frame and made his way toward her. For some reason he'd become accustomed to the female's constant fussing over him, and now that she was leaving him to fend for himself; he felt slightly put out.

"Grrrrr."

'Like hell Kakkarot.' He thought as he caught the younger male casting the blue haired female an appreciative glance before turning to plant a kiss on his own mate's cheek. Vegeta's glare drew the younger male's attention, and his thoughts were confirmed when the younger Saiyan's eyes widened, and he refused to meet the elder's gaze. Kakkarot knew he'd been caught. Vegeta snorted in derision before continuing his path through the beanbag maze toward his intended target.

Bulma was busy leaning over the side of her beanbag; chatting with Krillin and Tien, when she felt Vegeta settling next to her on her extra large beanbag; causing her lighter frame to slide closer his body; practically tossing her into his lap. Her eye started to tick in annoyance as she glared over her shoulder at him. He'd made himself comfortable next to her; well as comfortable as Vegeta went. He'd plopped down, and worked his way down into the bag until he was reclining. His arms were crossed, and his tail swayed lazily over the side of the bag while he gave her a mischievous look.

"What do you think you're doing? I thought you were going to bed, so shoo!" Bulma said as she tried to push him off her beanbag.

Vegeta hitched an eyebrow at her, and shrugged.

"Changed my mind." He grumbled as he swatted her hand away.

"Then why don't you go get changed into your bed clothes?" Bulma goaded. She smirked when he cast her a slightly awkward glance. However, that look quickly morphed, and he cast her a mischievous smirk as he leaned his head closer to hers, to whisper in her ear.

"I doubt my sleeping attire would be acceptable under these circumstances. You see woman, I prefer to sleep without clothing." He rumbled. His hot breath fanning across her neck, and causing her skin to break out in goose bumps.

Bulma's cheeks turned three shades of red, and she could feel herself somewhat reacting to the mental images his statement produced. She looked him in the eye, and could see the laughter dancing in his dark orbs at her obvious discomfort and embarrassment. She gave him a heated look before turning back toward her friends.

"Hey B. Catch!" Krillin said as he held a gummy bear between his fingers as if to throw it at her.

Vegeta watched in tortured amusement as the bald headed monk tossed the sugary treat into the air, and the blue haired female caught it with ease in her delicate little mouth. He nearly groaned in frustration when she craned her head toward him, and displayed her prize between her teeth. She quickly pulled it back into her mouth with a wink in his direction before turning to continue their little game of catch.

"AHHHHH!" Bulma yelled once when Tine's bad aim had landed the red gummy bear down the front of her tank; forcing her to attempt to retrieve it. However, when she turned away from the two bald headed hyenas, she gave Vegeta a perfect view as she fought with her top to free the gummy bear.

Not being able to resist temptation, Vegeta tapped her hand away, and with two fingers, reached down the front of her shirt, and withdrew the bear that had been lodged under the band of her sports bra. He held it up to her face with a triumphant smirk, and nearly laughed out loud at the bright red blush that spread across her face.

Krillin and Tien whooped at his success, and Bulma's embarrassment grew knowing her friends had seen his bold move. She turned her head back toward him, and as an attempt at payback, reached forward, and snatched the bear from between his fingers with her teeth; allowing her tongue and lips to slide across his digits seductively before immediately turning back toward her two friends. She didn't really need to see his face. The throaty gasp that tore from his throat was enough for her, and she grinned like the Cheshire cat as she waited to catch another gummy in her mouth.

"AHHHHH, Chi Chi STOP!!!"

The startled cry distracted Bulma, and the gummy bear thwacked her on the nose before she, and all the others turned their attention toward the two seater beanbag.

"Hahahaha! You show him Chi!" Bulma cheered when she turned to see the younger woman with her husband pinned to the beanbag, and trying to get away as she tickled his sides ruthlessly.

"Hey guys, come on, I'm gonna start the movie now so hush!" Krillin shushed as he jumped up to flip out the lights, and plopped back into his own bag; everyone's gazes now focused on the huge screen in front of them.

Chi Chi returned to her side of the bag, and Goku righted himself; elbowing his wife in the ribs as payback before settling down beside her with her head against his chest comfortably.

Bulma caught one last gummy from Tien before turning back forward in the beanbag to watch the movie. She was slightly surprised by Vegeta's change in behavior. To say she was slightly disturbed would be an over statement, but she was a little weirded out by it. She cast him a quick glance, and rolled her eyes when she felt his tail slink under her leg, and wrap around it.

Vegeta smirked, and folded his hands behind his head. He'd won that one, but only by a hair. His tail swished a little against her thigh showing his decent mood, and he cast his bag buddy a fleeting glance trying to read her body language.

"AHHHHHH! BANG BANG!!" Rang out from the T.V. startling Vegeta, and causing his eyes to dart forward, and his body to tense slightly at the shock of being caught off guard.

He watched as a scrawny little human used some type of handheld weapon to blow off the head of a severely mutilated; yet still living human in the head. Yes, he remembered now, they were called zombies. Human's who were no longer considered such due to a virus, and were killed off by the uninfected humans that remained. The concept was not far- fetched in his opinion. He'd seen similar situations on different planets. However, the situation was not comical in the least, and there was a completely different mentality shared among the remaining inhabitants. Killing them off had been a blessing, and he still couldn't regret taking their lives. It was better for them, and a lot quicker than being eaten alive.

"What is the point of this movie?" He grumbled as he laid his head back against the beanbag, and cast his hostess a dramatic look of boredom.

"Sigh, for you, there probably isn't a point. It's entertainment. Sure the things that happen in the movies are extremely unrealistic, and the plots are usually pretty corny, but hey, we enjoy them. It gives us a break from our reality." Bulma whispered before popping some sour patch kids into her mouth, and grimacing at the sour taste.

Vegeta remained silent as he continued to watch the movie. He still didn't see a point in wasting time watching something that was fake, but for some reason he remained. He felt his eyelids droop as the stress from the day, and alcohol began to take their toll on his already exhausted body. He lowered his arms from behind his head, and crossed them over his chest as he laid his head back against the beanbag.

'I'll just meditate for a few minutes to clear my mind. When this waste of time is over I'll retire for the night in my own quarters.' Vegeta grumbled to himself. He leaned forward, and removed his shirt; tossing it aside before settling back into his comfortable position. He let out a long sigh as he closed his eyes, and… promptly fell asleep.

Bulma blushed as she watched Vegeta remove his shirt. He was sculpted like a Greek god, and the scars that littered his torso only added to his masculine body. Most women would be disgusted or turned off by the scars, but for Bulma, they helped remind her that despite everything he'd done; he was still a man made of flesh and blood. He wore them with pride, and she couldn't help but run her fingers across the circular scar that lay over his heart when his eyes closed, and she knew he was asleep. The significance of that particular scar was not lost on her, and after sparing a glance at her friends to ensure they were effectively distracted by the movie, she leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss against it; allowing her hand to rest over it comfortably as she continued to watch the movie.

About thirty minutes later the credits rolled down the screen, and everyone was pretty much asleep or on their way to dream land. The soft black glow of the T.V. lulling them to sleep in the warm room. Bulma and Krillin were the last to fall asleep.

"Hey, Krillin, can you shut the T.V. off?" Bulma asked as she gestured toward Vegeta.

Krillin took a look at the surly Saiyan sprawled out in the beanbag next to Bulma, and suppressed a chuckle. He couldn't help but think how lucky the surly Saiyan was sleeping comfortably next to her side, and he hadn't missed the way his tail was wound around her thigh.

"Sure thing. Wouldn't want to wake up prince charming." He said with a grin as he stood up, and snatched the remote from Goku's slack hand, and pushed the power button before setting it down quietly on the table.

Bulma was surprised her silent laughter at Krillin's joke hadn't woke the usually on guard man beside her, but judging by the dark circles around his eyes, and the bruises that littered his torso; Vegeta's body had won out on his battle with his dreams. She knew he hadn't been sleeping as much in order to ward off the terrible nightmares, but eventually his body's need for rest won out.

'You really need to take better care of yourself Vegeta.' Bulma thought sadly as she watched his eyes dart back and forth under his eyelids; a sure sign he was dreaming again.

She stole a glance in Krillin's direction to make sure the kind hearted monk was no longer paying her any mind. When he settled back into his bag, and rolled to face the opposite wall she couldn't help but smile at her friend's thoughtfulness. Her friends may be distrusting, but they were kind hearted, and knowing the backgrounds each had; they didn't really judge him the way she thought they would. She guessed it had to do with the fact that they really couldn't say anything since they weren't exactly the most innocent guys either. She glanced around the dark room, and was surprised to see that all her friends were dead asleep; snoring soundly.

'Man these guys are out fast. Must be a fighter thing.' She cast a glance at Oolong, and cringed. 'Or maybe it's a lazy pig thing too'

Shifting her gaze back toward the sleeping male by her side, Bulma slowly and gently placed her arm across the top of the beanbag, and let her fingers run through his upswept mane of thick hair. The way they were situated in the beanbag left her sitting a little higher than he; most likely due to their difference in weight. This gave Bulma the ability to really study her grumpy houseguest without his knowledge.

"PRRRrrrrrRRRRrrrrRRRRrrrr"

Bulma smiled affectionately at Vegeta as he shifted his body slightly into a more comfortable position, all the while purring his pleasure at having her finger nails lightly scratching and massaging his scalp.

'What a tough guy.' She thought sarcastically with a smile as she watched his tail slither up toward his mouth. She intercepted the rogue appendage before he could start chewing on it in his sleep. It was still injured, and she didn't need anything else bad happening. She slowly stroked the silky soft appendage, which earned her an even throatier purr. However, the peaceful expression she was admiring suddenly morphed into a confused frown, and she watched as his eyes fluttered open.

He blinked a few times, trying to get his eyes adjusted to the darkness before setting his gaze toward the blue haired female who had her hand in his hair, and the other on his tail. He wanted to be mad, but couldn't summon up the energy to even feel the emotion. He lowered his arms from behind his head, and glared at her for a moment through the darkness. He was about to chastise her for her display, but faltered when he felt her head on top of his.

"Nigh fuzz." Bulma said as she nuzzled his hair with her nose, and settled herself into a more comfortable position by his side. As an afterthought she placed a chaste kiss to his temple, and patted his chest lightly after letting go of his tail.

Vegeta's eyes shot wide open, and his body stiffened to an almost painful level. He cast a frantic look around the room, and did a ki scan to see if any of the others were awake, and let out a breath he hadn't even known he was holding when he realized that he and the blue haired woman were the only two still awake. He gazed back at the woman, her deep even breaths telling him that he was now the only one left awake.

'What the hell is she trying to do?' He wondered to himself as he took in her position against his side. It was as if she was attempting to protect him in her sleep. The thought was absurd, but as he watched her arm tighten around his chest, her hand resting over the scar where Frieza had brought him down, he couldn't help the foreign but now familiar feeling twisting in the pit of his stomach at the idea. It endeared her to him, and his hand reached up of its own accord to brush some of her hair away from his face, and rest his hand atop hers on his chest. His tail wound around her upper thigh just as it had the last time they'd shared sleeping quarters.

'Just for tonight.' He assured himself as he allowed his eyes to drift shut once again, reminding him of his body's demand for sleep.

Bulma's eyes opened a few hours later, and her brows furrowed in confusion. Why was she awake now? Suddenly she felt a subtle tremor run through the man lying next to her, and her grip tightened on his form when she heard a pitiful growl of pain tear its way from his throat. She cringed when his tail tightened almost painfully around her thigh, and he buried his head against her chest; his arms wrapping around her as if to ground himself somehow. She gently raised her hand to his face, and stroked his cheek gently as she lowered her head to his ear, resting her head against his.

"Shhh, easy now. You're ok. Shhhhh I'm right here." She whispered in his ear as he continued to whimper and shake in his sleep.

She prayed that his whimpers wouldn't turn into cries as she watched his muscles ripple under his skin from the tremors seizing his body. She kissed his forehead, and continued to stroke his cheek, and whisper soothing words in his ear until finally, to her immense relief, his trembling ebbed, and his whimpering ceased with a sigh of relief. She smiled against his forehead as she felt him curl into her further, making himself comfortable against her. Normally she would have been extremely uneasy with the intimate contact, but knowing the torture he went through each night; she was just glad that she could chase his nightmares away for at least one night. She allowed her eyes to close, and joined him in the land of dreams once again.

******************************* The Next Morning**********************

The sound of a pot falling to the floor, and her mother's cursing above startled the blue haired woman from her sleep. She scanned the room with startled wide eyes before releasing a sigh of relief. Surprisingly she was the only one awakened by the loud noise, but was glad for it. Her mother was up bright and early per usual, making a feast of a breakfast for her friends, and the family. Her mother usually came down to wake them up when breakfast was ready, but Bulma figured it would be best to wake Vegeta so he wouldn't feel so awkward and embarrassed by their position. Bulma allowed herself a good yawn before turning her gaze to the man lying against her chest. She blushed slightly when she noticed their position. Thank Kami everyone was still asleep. Had they been awake, and Vegeta knew they'd seen him, there would surely be a fight. She stared down at him for a moment studying his features for a moment. It was a rare moment when she was granted the chance to get a good look at him like this. As she stared at his still form, she almost didn't have the heart to wake him. His face was peaceful, and without the deep frown etched on his face, he looked much younger than she'd originally thought. His lips were parted slightly as a low growl escaped them with each exhale of his breath; apparently that was his version of a snore. She smiled as she ran the back of her fingers against his face. Despite everything he'd done, watching him sleep made it extremely difficult for her to stay angry with him. He was just so, well, cute. He seemed so innocent, despite her knowing he was anything but, and she was well aware of the surly prince's vulnerabilities. It was amazing how much she'd learned about him in the short time he'd stayed with her. He was complex, and had a lot of heavy baggage, but so did most of her other friends before they all came together as a group. The only difference was that Vegeta had been conditioned from an early age to be the way he was, and undoing a lifetime of trauma wasn't easy. He'd already come a long way, but he still had even further to come still. She wasn't sure when it had happened, but she found herself completely taken with him. She couldn't picture her life without him in it now that he'd wormed his way into her heart. He had somehow managed to endear himself to her despite his harsh exterior, and disturbing behavior. She didn't know what he would do once he'd achieved his goal, and the androids were defeated, but some part of her hoped and prayed he would stay on Earth. She knew his rivalry with Goku would keep him, but if he somehow succeeded in beating her dear friend; what would he do next. She feared for him, and the thought of his death at the hand of the androids tore at her heart more than even she was ready to admit. Something in her had changed, and with a gasp the epiphany finally made its presence known. She wasn't afraid of him anymore, she was afraid for him. Despite the absurdity of the idea; she wanted to keep him safe from harm. He'd been hurt enough in his lifetime, and all she wanted was for him to finally find some peace and maybe happiness with his new life.

Bulma smiled affectionately as she ran her fingers through his upswept mane, and cooed softly at him trying to wake him as gently as possible. She was still apprehensive about waking him, who knew what he would do if disoriented when waking up in an unfamiliar place.

"Vegeta. Hey, come on sleepy, time to get up." Bulma whispered as she continued to run her fingers through his hair.

A soft, gentle voice made its way through the fog of sleep, and made its way to his conscious. He growled low, and stretched, shoving his nose against a pillow of silky soft hair, and inhaled deep; a familiar and tantalizing scent overtaking his senses. He let out a low rumbling sigh before slowly blinking his eyes open. He propped himself up on his elbows above Bulma's reclining form, and scanned the room with wary eyes before snorting and allowing his gaze to settle on the woman lying calmly below him. Her hair was disheveled, and her eyes were half closed with sleep as she stared up at him with a soft warm smile.

"Morning. I figured you'd want to be up before everyone else. If not, you can just lay back down here with me." Bulma said softly as she lounged contentedly in her warm niche of the beanbag.

Vegeta's eyes softened slightly, and he cocked his head to the side as he regarded her. He'd never seen anyone so relaxed around him. She knew he could kill her, yet here she was, offering him a half sleepy smile that caused his gut to twist. He furrowed his brow. His instincts screamed at him to get up, and go train, but once again his body acted on its own accord, and he found his hand reaching up to brush her bangs away from her face. The fringe was blocking his view of her eyes, and for some strange reason he just couldn't tear his gaze from hers.

Bulma blinked her eyes in confusion, and cast him a questioning glance. He was looking at her with an expression she'd never seen on his face before, and her heart started beating a little faster in her chest at the contact.

"Vegeta?" She breathed out as her eyes slowly drifted down to his lips then back to his eyes. She stared into his eyes, unable to read his expression, as her breath came out in slightly shorter pants from her anxiousness. His eyes were searching hers, as if he was trying to read her. She blushed slightly as his hand once again brushed her bangs from her face, and drifted down to cup the side of her face; his thumb absently caressing her jaw line.

He finally broke eye contact by slowly closing his eyes and lowering his head to hers. He inhaled her scent much like he'd done the first time they'd really met, and despite everything within him screaming at him to leave, he did the exact opposite. Slowly he allowed his warm breath to fan across her neck, and he smirked to himself when her breathy gasp reached his sensitive ears as he gently nipped at her neck.

Bulma's body stiffened at the contact, and her breathing increased as she stared at him wide eyed. She had no idea what was going on, but she was powerless to stop it. She licked her dry lips, and stared at him; waiting for his next move.

Vegeta let out a low growl, and bared his teeth at her before wrapping his tail around her upper thigh, and yanking her under him so they were starting at each other on eye level. Something inside him roared with pride as her eyes widened with excitement at his bold move; not even a hint of fear on her face; quite a change from when they'd first met.

"HN." He grunted at her, wrinkling his nose and furrowing his brow momentarily before lying back down, and pulling her against him; changing their positions so Bulma was wrapped safely in his arms with her back against his chest. The tip of his tail flicked back and forth between their bodies, and he smirked when Bulma placed a kiss to her index and middle finger then touched the digits to his injured tail gently. This female was the most attentive little thing, and the most obliging; when she wasn't shrieking like a banshee.

"Go to sleep woman." He ordered, slightly irritated. He was still tired, and despite his desire to spare himself some embarrassment; he stayed because she'd asked him to. It struck an irritating chord in him to know she had that much sway over him. She didn't order him about, and she wasn't demanding either. She simply asked him, and despite his arguing against her; he found himself following her because he enjoyed seeing her brilliant smile.

"Ok, cranky" She laughed as she booty bumped him playfully before snuggling further into him, and drifting off to sleep.

Vegeta's eyes widened and his body stiffened at her little movement. She most definitely hadn't meant to basically grind her ass against his groin, but she had, and it had thrown his mind past the gutter and into the sewer. He rolled his eyes exaggeratedly, and glared down at her indignantly, knowing full well that she wasn't even awake to see it. Kami she was going to be his downfall.

'You're going to get yourself into trouble little one if you don't watch it. I have excellent control, but even I have my limits.' Vegeta thought before allowing his body to relax once again, and his head to sink back against the beanbag. He brushed some of her hair out of his face, and nearly immediately fell back asleep.

It wasn't until a few hours later that his conscious mind felt a familiar ki approaching the landing to the stairs. He was too asleep to really give it much thought, but all his years of training had honed his senses to warn him of impeding danger even as he slept. Unfortunately his alcohol consumption, exhaustion, and comfort all worked against him as he ignored the subtle warning in his head.

"BREAKFAST EVERYONE!!" Bunny yelled from the top of the stairs.

Vegeta all but shot up from the beanbag with a start, and looked around the room wildly for any sign of an intruder. His hackles and tail fur standing on end. He growled as laughter reached his ears, and frowned when his eyes settled on the little blue haired female. She was rubbing sleep from her eyes, and smiling at him. Apparently he'd been caught.

"Easy, Vegeta. It's just my mom calling everyone for breakfast." Bulma chuckled as she leaned over the side of the beanbag, and grinned at him. Everyone was awake, but most everyone was nursing their hangovers; Goku's seemingly the worst of all. He growled, and bared his teeth in Bunny's direction as he held his aching head; her screaming absolutely demolishing his already massive migraine.

"Hmph." Vegeta grunted as he gathered himself to his full height, and stormed out of the room, and up the stairs.

Bulma followed his retreating for with her eyes, but remained seated. Despite her desire to follow after him, she reminded herself that he was a grown man. If he wanted to throw a temper tantrum like a two year old over something as little as being startled then he could do that alone.

"Well, come on guys, let's go get some breakfast. I don't know about you, but I could sure use a good strong cup o joe!" Bulma said as she stood and stretched her aching limbs, the blanket on her lap falling to the floor.

Everyone groaned and moaned as they stretched and yawned as well, and Bulma chuckled when she caught sight of a very grumpy and hung over Goku swatting his wife away as she tried to tame his wild mane.

"You drunk mother fucker." She laughed as she threw a piece of candy in Goku's direction, and watched in rapt fascination as he deftly caught it and flicked it to the floor. Normally he wouldn't have hesitated to pop the treat into his mouth, but Goku was never his normal self after a night of over indulgence. That was one of the main reasons why Goku never drank except on the rare occasion like last night's party.

"Enough bull shit blue, and get the fuck off Chi." Goku growled as he ducked his head away from her fingers as they inched closer to his head.

Both women chuckled as they watched him stagger up the stairs toward the kitchen. He sure was a piece of work when alcohol was involved. The first time they'd ever experienced a hug over Goku, everyone was convinced he'd hit his head, and turned back into whoever he was before he'd had the trauma as a kid.

"Hey B. He kinda reminds me of Vegeta when he acts like that." Chi Chi laughed.

Bulma's eyes widened and she nodded her head as she thought about it. "Oh my Kami, you are totally right. Oh, Chi Chi, this could either be one funny breakfast or a hell on earth. Two angry Saiyans at the same table. This might not go well." She said as she cast a wary look toward the stairs.

Both women shared a knowing glance, and without warning, they both bolted for the stairs. They weren't about to leave the two men to wander freely around the compound. Who knew what would happen if Goku started a fight because he was cranky.

"Hey, where you girls going in such a hurry?" Krillin asked as the rest of the gang followed behind him toward the stairs.

"Goku's hung over, and we don't want to find out what would happen if he and Vegeta were left alone together for too long." Bulma called over her shoulder as she ran after the younger woman up the stairs.

Krillin's face paled as he turned to the others. They all shared a worried look before taking deep breaths, and bracing themselves for one hell of a breakfast.

"There is no way this is going to end well." Tien groaned with Chaoutsu nodding in agreement behind him.

"I don't know if I want to stay for breakfast. One of them may try to eat me." Oolong cried as he tried to run off down the hall, only to be stopped by Master Roshi's staff in the collar of his shirt.

"Relax Oolong. Everything will be fine. The girls will make sure those two don't lose their cool. I just hope there's some food left for us when we get there." The old man frowned as he increased his speed down the hall.

The guys sweat dropped at the thought, and hurried toward the kitchen. When they arrived, a collective sigh of relief was heard when they noticed that only one of the two Saiyan males was occupying the room.

Goku had already piled a plate high with food, and was seated at the table eating at record speed, and chugging his own gallon of orange juice. Bunny was quickly cranking food out as if she was a Navy cook, and Dr. Briefs had decided to grab his breakfast to go and work down in his labs; where it was quieter. Chi Chi was eating a small plate of food, and Gohan was eating with as much restraint as he could for fear of being scolded by his mother.

Hearing the multitude of footsteps at the entrance to the kitchen, Bunny turned with a smile toward the group.

"Hey there kids, go ahead and grab a plate and silver wear. Everything is set out on the table, and you can get your own drinks from the counter." Bunny cooed as everyone filed into the kitchen, and began piling food on their plates before things had a chance to go bad.

"Hey, where's Bulma and Vegeta?" Oolong asked as he looked around the room.

"Oh, Bulma went to change into some sweats. She was a little cold, and I'm not sure what is keeping Vegeta." Bunny said as she gestured up the stairs with her spatula.

Oolong shrugged before snatching his glass of orange juice off the counter, and making his way toward the dining room that was adjacent to the kitchen; taking his place at the table next to Master Roshi.

***Upstairs***

Bulma slipped some Addidas running pants on over her boxers, and a black pull over men's hoodie. She fluffed her hair, and gave her teeth a quick brushing before making her way down to breakfast.

Thud, Thud

"Damn."

Bulma paused as she passed Vegeta's room, the sounds of drawers being opened and closed, and his swearing drawing her attention. She shrugged her shoulders, and knocked twice before letting herself in.

"Hey, why aren't you down eating breakfast? You better hurry before Goku eats most of it." Bulma said as she watched him strut toward his bathroom with a pair of training pants in his hand. She waited patiently as he changed into his training attire, and gave him a soft smile as he walked over to stand before her; crossing his arms as he squared his stance.

Vegeta wasn't in the mood for her incessant demand for his socialization. He snorted, and growled his warning; hoping she'd take the hint. However, his growl died in his throat when he felt her finger against his nose.

"Hey you, don't you growl at me Mr. I'm only asking you to eat breakfast. After that you can do your own thing. Please Vegeta?" She said as she removed her finger, and took a few steps closer to him, and gave him the puppy dog eyes.

Vegeta looked down on her with a faint smirk on his face. Her little cuteness act wasn't completely ineffective on him. He sighed in defeat and rolled his eyes before giving her a harassed look as he raised his tail toward her.

Bulma smiled as she raised her wrist, and allowed his tail to wrap around it; the fur tickling her wrist. She turned slightly toward the door, but was stopped when his tail gave her wrist a sharp yank.

"WHA…" Was the only word that escaped her lips before she felt herself being crushed against a rock hard chest. She glanced up at his face, and the look in his eyes made her stomach do a flip. She wasn't sure what it was, but something was different about him. She could see his mind trying to work out something in his head, but she dared no speak for fear of ruining a perfectly peaceful morning.

Something about the little woman pressed against his chest called to him. He'd never really thought about any particular person as much as he did her, and the fact that he allowed her to tell him what to do annoyed the hell out of him. It wasn't the fact that she was forcing him to do any of it, but the knowledge that he did so willingly; if only for her. He frowned as he stared down at her. He wasn't quite sure what he was doing, and he was fearful that she was reading way too much into his actions. He wasn't generally a touchy feely person, especially with other males, but he trusted her, and her alone. That was the main reason why he allowed himself to be led around by her, he knew she wasn't capable of harming him. She could harm him somehow if she desired, she was a genius after all and he had to sleep sometime, but she'd had ample opportunities to do just that, and didn't. Never in his life had he felt so attached to someone, never had he felt cared for in such a genuine way. His mind drifted back to the night he'd entered her home covered in gore. He'd half expected her to call Kakkarot to beat his ass before locking down the house, and kicking him out. She truly surprised him that day when she led him to her bathroom, and cleaned him up. Her fear was nearly palatable then, but as he stared down into her shining blue eyes, he could see another emotion. He wasn't sure what it was, but he was in no way threatened by it as he was with most others. He allowed a small smile to grace his thin lips as he reached up, and brushed her bangs out of her face, and allowed his hand to trail backward, over her head, and through her hair. He then raised a lock to his nose, and inhaled as he stared at her, entranced. He still couldn't get over how intoxicating her scent was. He'd never smelled anything so exotic, or laid eyes on a female as beautiful. However, he knew that creatures such as himself were not worthy of such beings. She was pure innocence, and he was the devil himself. Light didn't belong with darkness, and his smile fell back into a frown as his eyes hardened, and he released her completely from his hold.

Bulma was at a loss for words. His actions were sweet one minute, and the next, it was as if he was shutting down. She knew he'd worked out whatever it was that had his thoughts so occupied, but she wasn't sure she liked the end result. Clearing her throat, Bulma gestured toward the stairs, and frowned at him when all she received was a curt nod before he started toward their awaiting breakfast. The exchange didn't take long, but she felt like they'd been together for hours. How was it that time seemed to stand still with him? Softly she placed a delicate hand on his shoulder blade, and smiled when he turned to face her with a questioning look on his face.

"I don't know what you're thinking Vegeta, but whatever it is, I think you're wrong." Bulma said on the fly. She didn't know what possessed her to utter such words to him, but something in her heart told her that he needed to hear them.

His eyes widened only slightly before they softened, and he shook his head dejectedly at her.

"As much as I would love to believe you, I cannot. You're right; you don't know what I'm thinking. If you did, I doubt you'd disagree with me." He said before planting a chaste kiss against her forehead, and gliding down the stairs.

Bulma stood speechless for a few seconds before following his retreating form down the stairs. She wasn't sure about the darkness of his comment, but it had caused a small shiver to run the length of her spine. She'd have to keep an extra good watch over him from now on. Something wasn't right with him, and she was bound and determined to find out.

"GRRRRRRRR"

"Oh shit!" Bulma said as she heard Goku's growl coming from the kitchen, and Chi Chi's startled eep! She quickly entered the kitchen to assess the situation, and see what it was exactly that he was pissed about.

The scene was quite comical to say the least. Goku was sitting at the table with yet another large mountain of food in front of him, and the minute Vegeta had taken a seat at the other end with his own plate, Goku had gone on the defensive. The growl, and glare coming from the younger Saiyan had the elder monarch's eyebrows raised in complete surprise, and he was blinking as if trying to wrap his head around the fact that Kakkarot was in fact acting aggressively toward him, and not the other way around.

Bulma couldn't help the smile that graced her lips as she turned to fill her coffee cup in order to hide the twitching her lips were doing as she tried to hide her laughter. When she was sure she was under control she leaned against the counter, and watched the exchange. Vegeta's tail had fuzzed up around his waist, and he issued his own growl in response before calmly digging into his own food. Bulma cast Chi Chi an amused look, and gesture with her head for the other female to just eat and watch the display.

The two males ate in silence, but to the female's amusement, they would growl, glare, and posture at one another as they went along. It wasn't surprising to Bulma that in his hung over, and slightly irritable state that Goku would pick up on some of the older male's habits, but the fact that they seemed to be almost conversing with each other through their non-verbal cues, glares, and the occasional growl or other noise amused her. She had already figured out the different meanings behind Vegeta's growls, snorts, and grunts, but she'd never stopped to consider that since Saiyan's were a very animalistic race, that along with their verbal communication they would maintain a very complex non-verbal as well. Bulma figured that it gave the race an edge. An enemy would have absolutely no idea what they were carrying on about, and have no idea that they were engaging in a different form of communication. She shook her head, and crossed over to the last open seat at the table, and placed her mug next to Vegeta's arm. He paused in his eating to glance at her, and when he noticed Goku's eyes following her movements, he growled a low warning growl that the younger Saiyan, and Bulma both understood to mean that Vegeta meant business.

"Hey, now you two be nice." Bulma said as she started to eat her own breakfast, next to the irritated Saiyan. She glanced between the two, and her eyes widened. They were both glaring daggers at each other, and both were fuzzed up in irritation, and tensed. She knew things had gone from slightly tense to bad, and she elbowed Vegeta in the ribs, killing his growl dead, and causing him to glare at her before returning his focus to his food. Chi Chi did the same, but Goku gave her a blank stare before following Vegeta's lead. Bulm then reached down, and patted Vegeta's thigh under the table as a way of apology, and proceeded to eat her meal in relative peace.

Goku watched the display with mild interest. He was really pissy, and knew it was because of the alcohol. However, he still had the urge to pound the older male for no apparent reason. He cocked his head to the side, and was quite surprised when Vegeta offered Bulma the strawberries out of the toppings he'd used on his pancakes. He wasn't completely aware of his own culture, but Bulma had told him enough for him to understand that male Saiyans did not share food with anyone aside from their mates, kids, or during courtship. Hell, he didn't even share food with his own wife, well, not unless they were using it outside of the kitchen. He growled at the older male, suddenly irritated at the idea. It was as if the prince was trying to win her affections, and for some odd reason he didn't like it. Sure he knew that Trunks was their son, and they were going to get together at some point in time, but Goku hated the thought that Vegeta would use Bulma to satisfy his own selfish needs then leave Bulma to raise their child all alone. Goku's growling became louder, and drew Vegeta's attention. He sneered at his elder comrade, and received an angry growl, and a sharp glare of warning from the man. Goku backed off slightly, his point made. However, he knew very well that if pushed on the matter, whether he was even aware of his feelings toward the woman or not, Vegeta would probably succeed in kicking his ass. Goku may be a super Saiyan, but he could feel a power deep within the prince that stilled his hand. He wasn't sure exactly what it was, but he knew that once awakened; he'd take his rightful place as the strongest of his race. So, for the time being, Goku relented.

Bulma watched the exchange with curiosity. Vegeta had wrapped his tail firmly around her waist, and pulled her slightly closer to his side when Goku had issued his last growl, and the look in Vegeta's eyes was terrifying. Goku had somehow issued a threat, and Vegeta somehow squashed it flat with the ferocity of his gaze. She was awe struck by the shier power he held in that regard. He didn't have to say a word to get his point across; you could just feel it. Even she could read his silent warning loud and clear. It was as if he had a large "Back off or else" sign on his forehead. She wasn't sure why he felt the need to draw her in, but she assumed it had something to do with security for him. If only she knew how wrong she was. If only she knew about the tension she was causing between the two males. Goku wanted her to be cared for, happy, and loved. Vegeta, well, he didn't know what love was, and wasn't even sure about his feelings toward the blue haired woman to his left. All he knew was that his instincts had never led him wrong before, and he wasn't about to let the third class whelp push him around; despite him having the legendary status to back his threats. He was interested in the little female, and she was his only trusted companion on the shit hole of a planet.

Bulma extricated herself from Vegeta's near death grip, and stood from the table to place her empty plates in the sink. Chi Chi followed suit, and the two women then retreated from the kitchen toward the blue haired female's room, anxious to get themselves showered, and primped for the day. The night before they had agreed to go shopping in the morning, and Bulma had planned on buying a whole new wardrobe for winter.

Vegeta deflated when he watched the females exit the room without so much as a warning. He then turned back toward his food, and sighed irritably. He glanced at the young demi Saiyan, and was startled when a pair of wide brown eyes stared right back.

"What are you looking at kid?" Vegeta growled out; nowhere near as aggressively as he usually did. Unbeknownst to all, Vegeta did have a soft spot for children. He'd killed many during his purging missions, but that didn't mean he enjoyed it entirely. The incident at the village was just a breakdown of sorts on his part, and he did regret killing the child, but not the others. He stared intently at the whelp as he waited for a response.

Gohan coughed, and lowered his gaze before holding out a plate containing a substantial amount of food on it. Vegeta lowered his gaze to the plate then back at the pup then glanced toward his rival. Kakkarot was busy inhaling his food with gusto, and apparently made it a prerogative to ignore everyone else in the room, however, the twitch of his eye told the older Saiyan that he was well aware of what was going on around him at the moment. Vegeta sneered at his rival.

"Ganah, domino." Vegeta said not really thinking as he gestured the plate away. He'd not accept an appeasement offering from a pup, when it was the father guilty of the offense. He was intrigued by the whelp sitting near him, however, he'd never understand how deeply ingrained the Saiyan genetics could be in a demi pup.

Gohan retracted the plate, and set it down next to one of Vegeta's plates with a slightly dejected look. Even though he was still intimidated by the older Saiyan, he couldn't help but feel grateful for his intervention on Namek. Vegeta had not only saved his life, but he'd given his life trying to overthrow the evil Tyrant despite the fact that it was a losing battle. Even though he was extremely volatile; Gohan couldn't help but admire the older Saiyan. He didn't know anything about his Saiyan heritage because his father was raised as a human, and being the little scholar that he was, Gohan was very intrigued by the standoffish male.

Vegeta's tail began to twitch anxiously, the eyes of the whelp sitting by him unnerving him. He glared at the pup, and allowed a low warning growl to vibrate through his chest. He could feel the kid's ki spike in fear as he averted his eyes, and lowered his head in submission. Vegeta allowed the growl to fade off as he returned to eating his own food. If the idiot wasn't capable of teaching his offspring the basics of Saiyan manners then he was going to do it. Contrary to most cultural beliefs, male Saiyans didn't interact with their pups very often outside of training, but they did discipline them when they got out of line or weren't practicing proper social manners. The thing about Saiyan culture that was different than most was that the males didn't differentiate between their own pups, and another pack member's pup. All males and females treated each other's pups as their own. If one pup's parents were killed in battle, they were not adopted into a family unit, but left to fend for themselves as an adult. However, they were protected by the entire pack during times of battle. The pack taught them, and raised them to be strong despite their lack of immediate relations. They rallied behind them, and supported them from a distance. If the pup died; it was on their own head, and the pack went about their business as if it had never been born.

Vegeta was no different than any other Saiyan, and his instincts were strong. He wasn't too thrilled with considering this band of misfits his "pack", but he really didn't seem to have much of a choice in the matter. He glanced around at the other males, and realized that despite his dislike and mistrust in them; they had shown him some respect. He wasn't ignorant, and he wasn't unreasonable. They'd surprised him with their reaction to his outburst, and they'd all gained something from him for that, however, he didn't trust nor like them. He doubted he really ever would, but he could tolerate their presence. He sighed irritably as he reached over, and snagged a few pieces of bacon, and a small portion of the pancakes from the offered plate, and began tearing into them with the veracity of a Saiyan, and the grace of royalty.

Gohan's eyes brightened, and he offered a small smile toward the older male; happy that his offer had been accepted even if only slightly. He couldn't help but fidget in his seat as he ate at a faster pace, mimicking the male to his side.

Goku's eyes narrowed as he chewed a bite of egg. He'd noticed his son's interaction with the prince, and chose to ignore it because of Vegeta's obvious disinterest in his offer. However, when Vegeta decided to humor his son, and take some of the offered food he couldn't help the twinge of anger that brewed in his stomach. He wasn't aware of what significance the offer had in his own cultural standings, but he was well aware that Vegeta somehow had been considerate in some way toward his son; judging by the happy expression on the small boy's face. It was as if Vegeta had flipped an invisible switch. One minute his son was afraid of the older Saiyan, the next, he was completely at ease eating next to him. For some reason that bothered the younger male, and he glowered at the older male once he'd caught his gaze, and sneered at him in contempt.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes at the blatant threat, and snorted before shaking it off, and finishing his food. Vegeta wasn't threatened by Kakkarot, and he really didn't care what the younger male thought about his interaction with the small demi. He smirked at the younger male mischievously as he stood, and made his way toward his own room.

'Consider that payback, Kakkarot.' Vegeta thought as he climbed the stairs toward his room. For all the shit he'd pulled with the blue haired female it was high time Kakkarot got a taste of his own medicine. Sure he'd overstepped his boundaries as a male, but in his eyes Kakkarot had overstepped nearly every single boundary, and it had royally pissed him off.

As he made his way into his room he paused at the entrance. He could hear the two crazy females laughing, and doing Kami only knew what in the blue haired female's room. He shook his head, and entered his quarters; shutting the door behind him. Making his way to his dresser, Vegeta retrieved his training clothes, and after shrugging out of his sleep wear, put them on along with his shoes to begin his morning training routine.

"I've wasted enough time on this cluster fuck she calls a party. It's time to get back to business." Vegeta grumbled to himself as he entered his bathroom. He grabbed his toothbrush, squirted some toothpaste on the bristles, and brushed furiously as he glared at his own reflection in the vanity mirror. He spit, and rinsed his mouth, wiped it with a hand towel, and reemerged into his bedroom.

"AHHHH, NOOOO!"

"Hurry Chi, get back in here."

Vegeta growled as he heard Kakkarot's harpy shriek from the hall before running back into Bulma's room at her urging, and slamming the door. He could feel Kakkarot's ki approaching followed by Krillin, and Gohan's. He growled low in his throat as he yanked his door open, and glowered at the males that had converged on the door, and were talking amongst themselves as if formulating a plan.

"Hey, Vegeta. Give us a hand. Bulma and Chi Chi stole our game controllers!" Krillin said as he gestured the surly male closer as the other two Saiyans looked at him expectantly.

Vegeta quirked an eyebrow at them before wrinkling his nose is disgust.

"Sit and spin." He growled disinterestedly at the males as he flipped them the bird, and headed off down the stairs.

They stared after him confused for a few seconds before Krillin's eyes widened, and he fell to the floor laughing.

"What the heck was that about?" Gohan asked his father as he looked up at him with furrowed brows.

Goku was staring off after the smaller Saiyan confused. He then looked down at his son and shrugged.

"No clue." He said as they both looked down at Krillin who was trying to compose himself on the floor.

"Goku, come here." Krillin chuckled as he yanked on Goku's pants. Goku came to his level, and Krillin whispered in his ear. Goku's eyes widened comically as the meaning behind Vegeta's words and gesture were made clear.

"Well, at least we know he's got a sense of humor. It may not be a nice sense of humor, but we should take what we can get." Krillin chuckled as he punched Gohan in the arm.

"Hey, I'm gonna go see if Vegeta wants a sparring partner. I'll catch up with you guys later." Goku said as he moved toward the stairs after Vegeta. He wasn't really in the mood for a spar; he was actually wanting to get a few answers out of the older Saiyan and possibly break something if he didn't like them, but he wasn't about to let anyone know his true thoughts. Goku wasn't usually a violent or angry person, but there were times when even he got mad, and needed a punching bag made of flesh and blood. He was just lucky enough to know someone who felt the same way nearly 24/7 who would love to return the favor.

ZZZZIIIINNNNNNGGGG THWAK!!!

"OUCH! Oh well, thanks anyway, hey girls, wanna play?" Krillin laughed when Bulma and Chi Chi opened the door, and chucked the three controllers out the door hitting Krillin in the head, slammed it again, and laughed uncontrollably.

Goku shook his head, and laughed to himself as he made his way down the stairs. Bulma sure knew how to bring the good out in people. When he made it to the bottom of the stairs he noticed that Master Roshi and oolong had retreated back to the island, and as he exited the back door, he saw Tien and Chaoutsu sparring on the lawn.

'If only the android threat wasn't looming over head; things would be perfect.' Goku thought as he stalked over to the GR, and pounded his fist against the metal door. He really needed a good spar, and as the door descended revealing the pissed off prince, he smirked, knowing he was going to get just that.

Author's Note: Ok kiddies, here is another chapter. I think after next chapter things are going to speed up a bit. I'm done with this aspect of the story, and hopefully the next will throw us back on track. I just felt that our dear characters needed a few chapters to unwind…lol. So, next chapter we may get to find out what exactly happens during the "Sparring match" and some other juicy tid bits. Thanks for your continued reviews, and I look forward to reading what you have to say on this one. ^_^ As always, read and review!


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Take the Pain Away

Author's Note: I'm not going to lie, and say that everyone's criticism of my story didn't put me into a bit of a funk because it did. I never received high marks on my papers for punctuation and grammar usage. I always got my marks for content. Anyway, thank you for your reviews, and I'll try to find a beta, and if anyone is interested, please don't hesitate to let me know.

I would like to update some of you concerned and compassionate souls on what has been going on with me lately. My mind has been otherwise occupied by my mom's continuous struggle with skin cancer. She keeps finding new patches almost weekly, and the doctors are struggling to keep up. She's fine for now, but we're still praying for a miraculous healing. I myself have to get a skin exam for a few spots on my side that may have to be removed. Sigh, I've already had two pre-cancerous spots on my back removed, and I don't look forward to adding more scars to my body. Oh well, I'd rather be scared up and healthy than beautiful and dead. I've also been working hard to get my business up and running, and lining up a general contractor to work on my house. So, I've really been neglecting you guys, but I have good reason. Life takes priority. Thank you for bearing with me, and sticking through the rough parts. So, without further ado, the next installment of my story, enjoy!

**************************2 Months Later*************************

The sun streaked the horizon with hues of red, orange, and yellow as it slowly faded out of sight. Bulma had been gone from the compound for over five hours. Her body ached, and her knee threatened to give out on her as she limped her way up the long driveway toward her home. Her lip was busted, and she was sure that she had more than a few cracked or bruised ribs.

"Son of a bitch." She ground out between clenched teeth as her knee buckled, and she nearly fell to the gravel before catching her balance. Never again would she leave Kane at home on a run, she really could have used his help.

She'd unintentionally run into Yaumcha sitting alone on a bench in the park, and had stopped momentarily to apologize for Vegeta's outburst at the party, and inquire about Candy's condition. She suggested that he come running with her so they could talk, and he'd agreed quite readily. However, something about him had put her on edge, but she shook it off as they headed down the bike path. At first he'd seemed pretty neutral about the whole ordeal, and had even said that he knew something bad was bound to happen, but as their conversation went on, Bulma could see a definite change in her ex's demeanor. His expression had changed from one of neutrality to one full of irritation, but never did she expect for him to blow up at her. After she'd asked how he and Candy were getting along it was as if she'd strummed the wrong chord, and he rounded on her out of the blue, told her that it was her fault for everything that had happened between them, and it was her fault that Candy had left him after coming to in his apartment the night that Vegeta had nearly killed her. Bulma, was a little shocked at first, but as his words began to sink in, her face morphed from one of shock, to one of rage.

Once they'd reached the center of the park where they'd met she stopped running to stand toe to toe with him as they argued. She'd had enough with his verbal abuse, and decided that it was time to put the ex bandit in his place before things got out of hand, but there was one thing she hadn't counted on, the physical abuse. They had been separated for so long that she'd almost forgotten why it was they'd split in the first place.

Generally, Yaumcha was a great guy, but get him angry enough, and well, it was like he turned into another person entirely. It wasn't until he'd raised his hand against her one time too many, and she figured out a few of his other problems, that she'd decided to break it off for good. She didn't even see it coming as he brought his hand down across her face, causing her vision to spark as she was sent sprawling to the ground. He then kicked her in the ribs as he yelled curses at her, and blamed her for every bad thing that had happened in his life. Once he reached the pinnacle of his anger, and finally ran out of steam, he realized what he'd done. Bulma was curled into a ball on the pavement rocking side to side in pain while holding her ribs, blood gushing from her lip. He reached out to her, but withdrew his hand as a second thought.

He hadn't meant to take it as far as he had, she knew that, and she knew that if he'd not gotten a hold of his temper when he did, she wouldn't be alive. He just didn't understand that physical violence wouldn't make your source of frustration and anger go away. Yaumcha took one more look at the woman lying on the ground before him, and out of fear, retreated to only Kami knew where to hide, and pray that she didn't tell Goku.

She'd never mentioned her abuse to anyone, but Goku was intuitive enough to guess where all the bruises had come from. He'd offered to take care of the issue, but she refused to allow him to interfere. It was her business to deal with, not his. That was why she'd left him. She didn't hate him, she just didn't love him, and they were terrible together. She angered him past the point of rational thought, and in her eyes he was an ignorant coward.

Slowly she pulled herself to her feet, and did her best to jog/limp home as quickly as she could. Her lungs burned as she breathed in the cold winter air, and her ribs screamed their protest every time she took a breath. She refused to call her mother or father to pick her up. They were at a charity ball by now, and she wasn't about to call them away from it for a few minor injuries. It wasn't like she'd not suffered through worse.

Bulma had run just a little over five miles before returning to the compound, and after leaning against the table for a minute to catch her breath, she opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. She then made her way to the living room where she gingerly laid down onto the plush couch, and finally allowed herself to break down. She hated crying, she always had, but the emotional stress she'd been put through within the past year finally pushed the boundaries of her self-control, and she allowed her tears to fall. She tossed her water bottle to the floor, and furiously ripped the gloves from her hands, kicked her shoes off, and pulled the boggan from her head. She reached behind her, and pulled the dark blue throw off the back of the couch, and cocooned herself within as she cried. She didn't really have the strength to make it all the way up the stairs to her room, but she didn't want anyone seeing her shame. She felt utterly helpless, and for such an independent, and strong willed woman, there was nothing more disturbing than feeling vulnerable and helpless with no one to protect you.

'When did my life get so fucked up?' Bulma thought bitterly as she furiously wiped the tears from her eyes, and allowed sleep to claim her, a welcome release from her reality.

Five hours later, her parents still hadn't arrived home from their ball. The red light on the answering machine flashed in the dark, and if Bulma had been in any other condition she would have received the message that they had consumed much more alcohol than planned, and had opted to spend the weekend in a hotel next to where the ball was being held.

"Stupid, good for nothing, piece of shit." The prince swore under his breath as the GR made a strange whirring sound before a loud pop plunged him into utter darkness. Apparently he'd somehow blown a fuse. He'd been training no stop for over four days without so much as a bite to eat, a drop to drink, and not an hour of sleep. He stared blearily at the control panel, and only glanced at the digital clock that read 11:00pm.

Vegeta growled as his tail lashed angrily behind him. He'd realized with great angst that he was becoming soft, if the woman's party wasn't proof enough of that fact. He spent nearly an entire week after the fact contemplating his every word, gesture, and action during the time he'd spent within the compound, and had been disgusted with himself. He wasn't used to staying in one place for so long. Hell, working under Frieza allotted him nothing but a few short months in any given place. The longest he'd spent on a planet was when he was five, long before he'd been surrendered to Frieza by his father. After that, however, he never spent longer than 4 months in any given place. That allowed him to remain detached from the planets he was supposed to either purge or destroy, and avoid having to interact with the inhabitants or learn their ways. A quick brain scan from his scouter allowed him use of all languages spoken on said planet, and at the time that was all that was needed.

"Kami Damn it." He roared as he brought his fist down onto the control panel in anger. He'd been on Earth for just shy of a year. Nine months to be exact. He'd never been in one spot that long, and he was starting to feel trapped. He knew he couldn't leave the planet because there were androids to fight in two more years and Kakkarot to defeat, but the beast inside him screamed for change.

Vegeta heaved a sigh of discontent, and ran a hand through his hair before turning his back on the central control unit, and walking toward the door. He'd have to tell Dr. Briefs to fix the GR when he returned.

'Bulma'

He stared at her window for a few moments before a growl tore from his throat and he shook his head furiously, and stormed toward the back door. He'd been avoiding the tiny female for nearly two months. He was trying to regain his sense of pride, to rid himself of his attachment to her, but the longer he went without interacting with her, the more he found himself missing her company. He could tell she was confused and angry with him as he scented the air in a room she'd recently occupied. He'd never known any being that was affected by his absence as she was. Did she care for him, possibly, did she enjoy his company, most likely. He wasn't oblivious to the fact that she seemed to have a fascination with him, and that was what worried him the most.

According to the pup from the future, he would be dead in a few short years if he wasn't able to reach his goal. The gap was closing fast, and he wasn't any closer to reaching that goal than he had been at the beginning. He felt a tightening in his chest, and heaved a great sigh as he entered the back door. The female and Kakkarot's whelp would survive, but something about allowing the female to form any sort of attachment to him seemed unfair. She'd done so much for him that he felt guilt for allowing her to become attached to him only to suffer the loss once he passed on. He knew humans grieved the loss of those people they felt connected to; their pack mates. He had more respect for her than that.

Saiyans didn't die in the same manner as humans. Their deaths were usually violent, and in battle. However, if a Saiyan did live to old age, they would wander off into another pack's territory by themselves months before their death to give their pack time to adjust to life without them, and die alone somewhere peaceful. If their body was found by the neighboring pack, it was ceremonially burned out of respect, and the memory of that Saiyan died with them in that spot. Humans, on the other hand, preferred to die in the presence of their pack mates. He couldn't understand their reasoning. Why cause your pack mates to suffer? Why be a burden to them?

For some reason he couldn't seem to allow the woman her human way of dealing with death. He'd bow out gracefully, and in doing so, he would remove himself as best he could from her. In his case, he would minimize all contact with her until it was time for the battle. Maybe then, she could learn to hate him enough that his death would be a relief rather than a burden to her innocent soul.

As he entered the house through the back door, he scented the air out of habit. He'd be lying to himself if he were to say that he wasn't feeling the strain of not having the female around to brighten his spirits, in fact, he was quite morose without her light in his otherwise dark existence.

He froze.

The scent was all wrong. He inhaled deep, and opened his senses fully. A low growl tore from his throat before he bolted from the dark kitchen to the living area, the scent of blood, pain and betrayal thick in the air causing his stomach to rise into his throat.

He paused at the opening to the living area, almost uncertain as to whether or not his presence would be of any help to the little female. He knew she was not pleased with him, and it was possible that his presence would not be well received in her current condition. However, his instincts to protect and shelter the little female from the evils of life overrode his hesitation, and he slowly inched his way toward the couch where her ki was pulsating awkwardly.

He crouched down in front of her, and scented her once again, trying to get a better feel for her current state. She was wrapped in a blanket, and curled into a protective ball on the couch. He frowned down at her, but took it as a good omen none the less. If she had been seriously injured she wouldn't have been in her current position.

'What happened little one' He thought as he cocked his head to the side, regarding her still form in the darkness. Saiyan's had no problem seeing in the dark; however, light always enhanced their ability to assess a situation. His frown deepened as he reached over to flip on the table lamp beside the arm of the couch.

The sight that greeted him caused a something primal to claw furiously at his chest. He hissed in barely contained rage at the angry bruise that marred her otherwise beautiful face, and the blood encrusted lip that pouted a little more than usual.

Without hesitation he reached out to stroke her silky blue hair, and rest his hand gently at the base of her skull. "Woman." He called out in a voice he didn't recognize as his own.

Bulma stirred at the feeling of something warm against her head, and the voice that murmured her name so softly. She cracked open her eyes, and fought past the pain it brought as she tried to focus on the face of the person whose presence had awakened her.

Her eyes narrowed in confusion. "Vegeta?" She rasped through a parched throat, thoroughly surprised to see him crouched before her rather than her mother or father.

"What happened woman?" He asked nearly immediately with narrowed eyes and bared canines.

She shrunk back, visibly shaken by his ferocious and intense gaze, and he immediately softened his features so as not to cause her any further alarm. He slowly used his tail to readjust the blanket over her shoulder, and allowed it to rest by her face, twitching it ever so often to brush against her bruised cheek.

Bulma offered him a half smile as her tiny fingers peeked out from under her blanket to stroke his silky soft tail before it instinctively wrapped around her wrist, the tip resting in her palm as she held it gently.

She watched his expression change from one of pure malice to one filled with an unidentified emotion. She wasn't sure why, but her heart raced as she regarded him silently.

"Don't worry about it. It really isn't as bad as it looks, honest, I'll be all better by morning." She said softly, as if he was the one who needed the consoling.

Vegeta's eyes shot to hers in disbelief. He shook his head, and inched closer to her. He wasn't about to let her get away with dodging his question. "Tell me what happened. Who harmed you woman." He rumbled in a way that gave no room for argument.

Bulma sighed as she attempted to sit up, but was thrown down again by a sharp pain in her ribs. She grimaced in pain, and sucked in a sharp breath, trying not to let on to how badly she hurt.

Vegeta saw her struggle, and helped to ease her back against the plush cushions of the couch, his tail never once leaving her hand. She'd gripped it rather hard in her pain, but he'd not registered the pain due to his extreme attentiveness to the female before him.

Once she'd settled back against the couch, she looked up at the man crouched on the floor by her side. She hadn't seen him for over two months, and it wasn't until now that he decided to make his grand appearance? She should be mad at him, tell him to go away, but for some reason, his presence was even more comforting to her than she'd like to think. She'd missed him, and by Kami, he'd truly made her day by just being here with her.

She frowned. "Yaumcha. I bumped into him at the park on my run. We started talking, and I'm not sure exactly what happened. One minute we were talking, and the next he just, I don't know, snapped. I was on the ground before I even knew what hit me. He got scared and took off to only Kami knows where." She divulged bitterly. She didn't wish harm upon him, but she did wish him to get some help for his issues. A low guttural growl tore her from her thoughts, and she snapped her eyes toward the source.

Vegeta sat perfectly still on the living room floor, but Bulma could see well past the calm exterior. His hackles were raised, and his tail was fuzzed and trembling in her hand. His whole body was shaking, and the look of death that shone in his dark eyes told her that Yaumcha was a dead man unless she could calm him.

"Vegeta. Please, don't. It's not like it hasn't happened before. You' re not the only one pissed about it, Goku knows about it too. He wanted to take care of it, but it's my fight, not his and It's not yours either, its mine. Let me fight my own battles, ok?" Bulma said in a rather firm voice. She was afraid of him when he behaved like he was. It reminded her of when he'd first come to her, cold, detached, lifeless, and full of malice. Like a calculated killer.

His eyes widened, and the growl died in his throat as he glared at her. He brought his face a few inches from her own, causing her to subconsciously move a little further back.

"No male, should ever raise a hand against a female for any reason, especially you. An attack against my pack mate is an attack against me. Just because that idiot Kakkarot is too feeble minded to understand that fact, doesn't mean that I am as well. He may not feel the need to protect his pack mates, but I do." Vegeta growled as he wrapped his tail further around her arm.

Bulma stared at him in shock. 'Pack mate?' She thought to herself. He considered her a pack mate? Since when had she been bestowed this honor? She'd been certain that he had wanted nothing to do with her.

"I don't understand Vegeta." She said as she looked pleadingly into his eyes, begging him not to interfere.

A long sigh edged with a growl of frustration escaped his lips. Of course she wouldn't understand. She was human after all. He mentally cursed himself for his careless words.

"Woman, know this. Seeing as how my family and people were wiped out long ago, and I have resided on this planet far longer than any other since my planet's destruction, you and your family and yes, even your friends have become my pack mates. Saiyan's lived in packs under one alpha family unit, my family unit. We had our own pack mates as well; those two buffoons who accompanied me to Earth the first time were two of them. Saiyans relied on their pack mates for many things, and defended one another from any and all attacks. An attack on one was an attack on all." Vegeta said pointedly as he willed her to understand his meaning.

Bulma considered his words, and nodded in understanding. "But Vegeta, you can't hurt Yaumcha. Please, just let it be. That will be the last time it ever happens. I'll not put myself in that kind of situation with him ever again." Bulma tried to assure him as she extended her hand to rest on his forearm. She didn't want anyone's blood spilt on her account, nor did she want any more blood on Vegeta's hands.

Vegeta gently withdrew his arm from her reach, angered by her adamant refusal of his assistance. However, he wouldn't betray that trust. He growled in frustration. "You'd better not, for his sake woman. I'll not be dissuaded if he strikes you again." He warned as he settled into a more comfortable position on the floor with his back resting against the couch beside her head.

"Thank you, Vegeta." Bulma said with a half smile, her swollen lip only making the slight upturn of her mouth possible on one side. She could see the tension radiating from his body. He was would like a spring, and she sighed as he had done before raking her nails gently across his bare shoulders, and down his back as far as the couch would allow.

Vegeta released a low rumbled of a purr as her finger's danced lightly against his flesh. He could feel his skin pull as it responded with goose bumps to her ministration. It tickled slightly, but at the same time he felt comforted by it. He leaned forward somewhat to allow her roving hand better access to his back, and his purr intensified when she obliged his silent request.

"You need rest too. You're tired, I can tell." Bulma said absently as she watched her own fingers dance across his scarred back. She traced a few with her fingers as they worked, but the slight turn of his head in her direction each time she did it told her that she'd better stop, lest he leave.

Vegeta frowned, and glanced at her. "You need it worse than I do. Your ribs are most likely cracked at worst, bruised at best." Vegeta said suddenly as he withdrew from her reach, and his tail released its hold on her wrist.

Bulma pulled her hand back, and simply looked up at the surly male in slight irritation. "Vegeta, I couldn't move even if I wanted to. I am physically incapable of going anywhere right now. If I was, I would have already wrapped my own ribs. I'm not daft, just, incapacitated at the moment." She huffed in embarrassment.

The corners of Vegeta's mouth twitched in amusement. Had the female been Saiyan her tail would most likely be thumping against the couch in irritation. He shook the thought away as he pulled his own tired body to his feet, and bent to scoop her into his arms.

Bulma winced at the painful contact, but knew it was necessary. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he carried her bridal style up the stairs toward her bedroom. He brushed through her slightly door with ease, and settled her on her bed. It was odd for him not to be the one being forced to rest, or tended to. He wasn't used to having someone to tend to; he was used to being the one tended to. He watched as she wiggled around on her bed, trying to get comfortable.

Bulma struggled to remove her hoodie, and tried to suppress a smile as she heard Vegeta grumbled under his breath about stupid Earthlings being too weak to care for themselves. She chuckled quietly to herself until her ribs protested, and she winced in pain.

Vegeta cast her a warning look over his shoulder at her antics, and she just smiled and rolled her eyes at him, suddenly in fairly good spirits considering her condition, and the fact that it was well past midnight.

He grumbled under his breath as he glanced at the clock on her nightstand that read 2am, his own fatigue weighing heavy on his body. He mentally tried to shake it off as he helped her remove the hoodie, and watched as she removed her shirt, and after sliding under the covers, removed her pants, leaving her in her black sports bra and matching underwear. He snorted, and wrinkled his nose, trying to keep his obvious discomfort at seeing her in so little clothing from shining through. He'd not given her physical form much thought, but he was pleasantly surprised to find her tiny frame very muscular for a human female. He'd seen plenty of them coming and going around the compound, but none were near her level. He wondered at her reasons for being so fit. Surely she didn't feel the need to defend herself, she had plenty of male's around her that would leap at the chance to defend her. He'd seen it first-hand on Namek with the bald monk, and Kakkarot's whelp. However, the weakling was able to overpower her easily. He frowned at the thought of her ever needing to fight. Female Saiyans were strong, like the males, and he should be comfortable with that, however, he suddenly felt an overwhelming need to protect her. The feeling went well beyond the typical relationship between pack mates, teetering dangerously close to that of a mated pair. He cringed inwardly at the thought, not wanting to allow that thought purchase on his conscious mind.

The two just stared at each other for a second the tense moment broken only by the soft yawn that escaped the blue haired woman's mouth, muffled by the back of her hand. She cast him a curious look after she'd finished, and was surprised when the corners of his mouth twitched before his mouth opened, revealing his massive canines, in a yawn of his own. However, he turned his head slightly away from her, and ended his yawn with a slight growl. It reminded her of a large cat, and she couldn't help but chuckle.

Vegeta cast her a tired and annoyed look. "What?" He rumbled, his voice becoming hoarse with his fatigue.

"I guess it doesn't matter who you are, or what planet you're from, a yawn is contagious!" Bulma chuckled as she trained her tired eyes on his slouched form. The more she looked at him the more she realized how tired he really was. The poor guy had huge bags under his eyes that made it look like he'd been punched, and his eyes were extremely bloodshot. His normally rigid posture was slouched, and his frame shook with the effort to stand. Her eyes softened toward him, and she gently patted the spot next to her on her bed.

"Hey sleepy, come keep me company?" Bulma offered, praying that he'd accept her invitation.

Vegeta eyed her suspiciously, and cast a wary glance toward her door, and released a long sigh before returning his gaze to where she lay in her bed. Despite the strong desire he had to accept her invitation, he shook his head before making his way to her door.

Bulma's smile faded as she realized that he wasn't going to stay, and she momentarily wondered why she felt disappointed that he was leaving. "Hey,Vegeta." She said quietly as he reached her doorway.

He paused before crossing the threshold, and cast her a look over his shoulder as way of acknowledgement. He didn't want to give her anything more than that for fear that he wouldn't be able to resist her. "What is it woman?" He grumbled. His patience waning as the fatigue started to take hold, and his body threatened to give out on him.

She allowed her soft smile to return to her face, deciding that it was better for her to take his rejection gracefully. "Good night fuzz butt, and thank you for taking care of me." She said as she offered him a wink before settling down against her pillows, and watching as he snorted before he walked slowly down the hall to his own room, and shut the door behind him. She should have known that he wouldn't accept her offer, but she couldn't stop herself from hoping that he would. She didn't know where the feeling came from, and she questioned herself long after he was gone. She finally found sleep just as the sun was peeking over the horizon.

His alarm went off maybe three hours after his eyes closed, and he growled in frustration as he silenced its infernal blaring with a well aimed ki blast. He allowed his exhausted body to fall back against his soft bed, his head sinking into the duck down pillow. He stared up at his ceiling before casting a glance at his window. He scowled at the sunlight trying to work its way past the blinds and curtains of his room, and grumbled something un intelligible as he rolled over onto his stomach with his pillow over his head. After about three minutes he snapped his head out from under the pillow, static charged through his hair. He growled once more as he realized that his room was situated on the side of the house where the sun rose, and Bulma's was on the opposite side, therefore hers should still be nice and dark. His tail lashed as he tried desperately to shake the thought clawing its way into his brain, but being used to the darkness of space, it was extremely difficult for him to sleep with the bright light of the sun shining into his room.

"FUCK!" He raged as he threw his pillow across the room before stalking from his warm bed, and silently made his way down the hall toward her room. He was glad that no one was awake to see his pitiful descent into the realm of the pathetic. His tail drooped in shame as he slowly made his way through her open doorway into her perfectly darkened room. He couldn't help but notice the darker curtains on her windows that blocked all light from shining through. He made a slight mental note to demand similar ones for his room.

Bulma stirred when she felt a presence standing beside her bed. She slowly opened her eyes, and was greeted with a rather impressive pair of legs. She followed them up till she finally reached the eyes of their owner, and plinked a few times to make sure she was seeing right.

"Vegeta? What…?" She mumbled still half asleep. She watched as he turned his head, and made his way toward the door, but she was surprised when he stopped, turned, and began slowly crawling up the foot of her bed. She cast a slightly concerned and nervous look which changed into slight irritation when he thrust his head into one of her pillows, and made himself comfortable next to her.

"Excuse you. Have you ever heard of knocking or asking?" Bulma grumbled, not being a morning person, and irritated that he'd woke her up.

Vegeta just offered her a sleepy look, and yawned, completely unaffected by her obvious irritation. "Woman, if you don't want me invading your sleeping quarters then I suggest you provide me with some means of blocking out your infernal sun from lighting up my room." He groused as he pulled her pillow out from under her head, and threw it to the floor.

Bulma let out a startled eep as her head crashed to the mattress, and growled before making the decision to share his pillow instead of retreating from her nice warm cocoon of covers to retrieve her pillow. She smirked in triumph when he stiffened as her cold feet made contact with his calf, and her face was mere inches from his, her warm breath fanning across his neck.

Vegeta grunted in disapproval, before shoving her back to her side of the bed. He smirked down into his pillow when he suddenly felt her straddle his hips backward, and stretch out across his back, legs crossed at the ankle and her arms behind her head. He cast her a look of warning that she didn't heed before bucking upward with his hips, causing her to fall back to the mattress on her ass.

Bulma, not being one to be kicked out of her own bed by a pushy, rude, Saiyan, took her ice block feet, and shoved them under his torso toward the warmest part of his body. The minute her frigid feet came in contact with the sensitive area, Vegeta's body skyrocketed upward as he let out a howl of protest. She giggled as she watched him glare at her with his fuzzed tail lashing behind him in irritation. "Not as amusing when you're the one being accosted is it?" Bulma mused as she watched him cast her a wary glare before settling himself back into his face down position.

He grumbled to himself before grabbing one of the other pillows from the floor, and shoving it in her direction. She took it, and placed it where it belonged with an indignant huff before dramatically throwing herself back onto her bed, covering herself with the comforter, and facing away from him in attempts to get some sleep.

"Don't you worry, your royal fuzziness, I'll make sure to get you some black out curtains if it'll keep you from waking me at such a Kami awful hour." Bulma groaned as she tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable.

Vegeta glanced her way once more. He rolled his eyes before allowing his body to move toward her slightly. He reached out with one of his large arms, and captured her around the waist, doing his best to avoid her ribs. Despite her behavior, and his, they'd both been surprisingly gentle, unlike previous times when they'd gotten into little scuffles. He ignored her gasp as he hauled her back to his side, and rested her head next to his on the pillow he'd stolen.

Bulma smiled a sleepy smile as she pressed herself closer to his warmth. It was much nicer sleeping next to him; his naturally higher body temperature turned her bed into a sauna. She loved it.

'Beats a heating blanket any day.' She thought as she gave the large forearm that rested on the apex of her hip a gentle pat.

The two lay in companionable silence as they each tried to fall back to sleep, the early morning sun having no authority in the darkened room. Both occupants were exhausted mentally and physically, and they wanted nothing more than a little comfort. Vegeta had pushed his pride down enough to allow him to seek her out, and Bulma had reigned in her morning grumpiness and allowed him to stay.

"Mmmm, you're really warm." Bulma said as she snuggled closer to his body, trying to reclaim some of the heat that was lost during their little game.

Vegeta growled and shifted slightly away from her. He wasn't used to such close companionable relaxation. Hell, he wasn't used to allowing himself to relax, let alone sleep around anyone, but he was trying to do just that with this little female. It was irritating. He felt like a walking contradiction, a hypocrite. Why was he seeking out that which he'd vowed his entire life to avoid? He seriously wondered if the planet held some sort of power that he wasn't aware of. Either way, he was extremely conflicted and he didn't like it.

Bulma frowned in confusion at the sudden change in his attitude, and rolled over to face him. She quirked an eyebrow at him when she was greeted with the back of his head, and reached out to poke his right ear. "Hey, what's wrong with you, now?" She demanded as she poked him in the side, earning his arm to quickly slide down to protect his exposed flesh. Her nails may not be able to damage his thick skin, but they sure as hell tickled.

"Back off woman, and just go to sleep." He grumbled as he twisted his head to glare at her. He wasn't about to let her know the effect she was having on him.

Bulma frowned, and gingerly sat up in bed, her ribs were starting to hurt, and lying down only seemed to make it worse. "Hey, not to be a bitch or anything, but I'm getting up now. I just can't lay still for anything. My ribs are burning, and I can't get comfortable." She groaned as she hefted herself from the bed on still wobbly legs.

Vegeta raised his head from his pillow, and watched her slowly make her way to her adjoining bathroom. He was ready to catch her if she fell, but prayed to Kami that he'd spare him the embarrassment. When she finally made it in, and shut the door behind her, he allowed himself to relax back into her bed. However, the sound of running water, and her humming made it very difficult for him to fall back to sleep. Vegeta heaved a great sigh, completely out of sorts with himself as he realized it would be impossible for him to fall asleep in her room if she wasn't there. It was just too awkward.

He cast a quick glance toward the bathroom before throwing off her comforter, and making his way back to his own quarters for a shower of his own. He needed to get her scent off his skin more than anything, and he'd not showered before collapsing in his bed the night before. Despite whatever the female liked to believe he did not enjoy the gritty feeling of sweat against his skin, but he couldn't help the fact that he was unaware of his odor. Saiyans possessed a very strong and distinctive scent, males were considerably more potent than females, and it was only enhanced after a training session or spar. Female Saiyans would have found it appealing, the stronger the scent the stronger the male. Unfortunately, it appeared that humans felt the exact opposite. The woman had expressed her disgust with him on more than one occasion. To say it wasn't a blow to his pride would be an understatement, but he knew she was unaware of the insult.

He crossed the hall, and entered his room, closing the door behind him. He raised his hand to his eyes, and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and fore finger. Things were getting complicated, and he didn't like it one bit. Things were different with her; therefore he couldn't just take the way he'd been forced to do in the past. He used to not feel bad for using weaker beings to obtain the means to his ends, but for the first time he actually felt guilty. It could possibly be because this woman and her odd parents had shown him hospitality out of the good of their hearts, not because he'd forced them to. He figured it also had to do with the fact that they genuinely seemed to care about him. The elder patriarch was very wary of him, but even he showed a certain level of concern. The thought churned his stomach, and he growled as he stripped from his shorts, and entered his bathroom, the cold tile barely registering against his heated flesh. He stepped into the shower before turning on the cold tap. He allowed the frigid water to rain down on his body, hoping to wake his body and mind, but after five minutes he gave up on that idea, he was just freezing cold, and he was well aware that he still looked and felt like shit.

'I don't know how much longer I'll be able to keep this up.' He sighed mentally as he rinsed his body before washing his unruly mane. He tried not to dwell on the matter, and willed himself to think of other things before rinsing off completely. He twisted the handles on the shower, and allowed the hot water to warm him before turning it off. He reached for his towel, and ruffled his hair dry before settling the towel around his waist.

The cold tiles gave him a slight shock as he padded across the room toward the sink. After wiping the condensation from the mirror he gazed at his reflection. He turned his head this way and that before taking a step back to allow more of his body to be revealed. He analyzed his physique, and tried his hardest to find something that may draw the female's attention. After all the years of mind games, Vegeta didn't exactly have the best personal image, but for some foolish reason he felt compelled to at least try and make himself appealing to her, even if he could not do so physically. His body was littered with scars, and although he was proud of them, he had seen the kind of males human females found attractive, and none of them were battle hardened and damaged as he was.

He growled at himself, ashamed that he was even allowing his mind to linger on the little female. Somehow his mind would always settle on her, no matter how hard he tried to think of anything else but her. However, after finding her hurt the night before, he couldn't help the twisting in his gut each time he looked at her sad face. He had to do something to get that spark back. He could see through her soft smiles and reassuring words. They weren't really meant for him. He finally realized that she wasn't too different for himself. They both hid behind their own facades, she was protecting herself, just as any sentient being would. However, he wasn't going to accept that kind of pitiful behavior from possibly the only creature in the known galaxy who was either kind enough or crazy enough to care for him.

Bulma jumped at the sound of a slamming door down the hall before frowning in distress. She hadn't meant to anger him or drive him off. She could tell he was tired, and didn't blame him for pestering her since she knew well and good that he was telling the truth about the sun. The curtains were of a light shier and offered little to no protection from the offensive orb. His room was also situated on the brighter side of the house. It had never been a problem before, but that was because he was usually up and training before the sun rose. Apparently he'd overdone it the past few weeks, and decided to sleep in after their run in the night before. Poor guy just couldn't seem to catch a break.

'Definitely need to get him some black out curtains today.' She thought absently as she washed her hair with her new Nexus moisturizing shampoo. She loved the smell, and since she'd done away with the curly monstrosity she'd decided to go back to it. She had noticed a difference in the way her hair looked since using a different kind. This was her first day using it, and she relished in the amazing smell. She was one of the odd people who could associate memories with scents. Certain smells reminded her of particular times and events, and the shampoo reminded her of carefree summers, and cool nights under the stars adventuring across the globe. She sighed in contentment as she thought about how simple those days were, and wished with all her heart that after the Android attack, everything would be able to return to being so simple.

For some reason she wanted Vegeta to be able to have fond memories of his time on Earth, however long or short it may be. She could tell he was restless, and was struggling with the truth that he may keep his word and leave the planet once the Android threat is gone, and he's fought Goku. She shook her head, refusing to think on the negative. She'd allowed herself to fall into a funk as of late, and she could tell her sour mood was affecting Vegeta in a negative way, and although it she found it a little crazy, she couldn't help but want him to be happy. She wondered if he'd ever been happy before, and if so, what were the things that made him happy?

'I just wish I knew what he was thinking sometimes.' She sighed mentally as she rinsed her hair, turned off her shower, and dried herself with her fluffy towel. She wrapped the towel gently around her abused ribs before walking back into her room. She flipped her hair over, and scrunched it before making her way toward her bureau. She wasn't going anywhere in her condition, and decided she'd gotten far enough ahead in her work to slack off for a day or two. She opened her drawer and selected a comfortable pair of bikini underwear and matching bra to wear before entering her walk in closet. She was freezing, and wanted to be warm and comfortable. She selected a pair of black leggings, and an off the shoulder olive green sweater with sleeves that were a little long from repeated wear. It extended down to mid thigh, and the sleeves covered half her hand due to her constant stretching of them. It was her favorite sweater for colder weather. It was warm, and it didn't have a poufy or turtle neck. Once she'd donned her clothes, she reemerged from her closet, and applied her makeup. She glanced at the clock, and sighed in slight irritation at the red digital numbers staring back at her. 7:00 am was definitely too early for her. She turned toward her bedroom door when she heard the front door open and close, and her mother call a good morning throughout the house. It looked as if her parents had overindulged at their party. That would explain why no one was home when she'd arrived. She smiled when she heard pots and pans clanging, and shook her head at her mother's steadiness. The woman couldn't break the breakfast routine, even if she was hung over as hell. Come to think of it, Bulma really couldn't remember a time where her mother had suffered a hangover. She couldn't help the pang of jealously that struck her at the thought. She'd suffered through some of the worst, and wanted to throttle the woman for banging around in the kitchen. She chuckled as she emerged from her room, and made her way toward Vegeta's. She wanted to do something nice for him, but hadn't the foggiest idea of what that might be. She figured since he'd not gotten enough sleep, and he was probably still tired and cranky, that she'd try to convince him to take a day or two off for recoup. Besides, she smirked mentally; she was going to shut down the GR so he couldn't hold himself up in it for weeks on end again.

Her eyes narrowed, and she smirked mischievously. 'That'll teach ya to ignore me.' She thought as she raised her hand to knock on his door. She waited patiently, and mentally prepared herself. She hoped he would be in a decent mood, but she knew better than to get her hopes up especially after she told him her intentions for his precious GR. She heard movement, and suddenly his door was swung wide open. He glared down at her in what she could only describe as angst. 'Well, sometimes hope isn't enough.' She though as she regarded his stern countenance, something was off about him, but she just couldn't put her finger on it.

"Mom and dad just got back, and I hear mom makin breakfast. I just wanted to see if you'd eat with us today. You've been skipping out lately." Bulma said, a bit nervous with the way he was looking at her. She saw his nose twitch, and his head rise slightly, a tell tale sign he was scenting her.

"I've wasted enough time this morning. I have training to do woman." He said as if on auto pilot as he drew nearer to her. His brow creasing in slight perplexity as he sniffed at her, her scent was extra alluring to him for some reason.

"I bought a new shampoo, here, whaddya think? If you don't like it I can change it. I know how sensitive your nose is." She wavered as she held a lock of her hair up so he could smell it better, not sure how to take this newly revealed side of Vegeta. She'd never seen him behave in such a way. It was more than a little disconcerting. He was always so deliberate in his approach to everything, but he seemed distracted by something.

Vegeta stared at her for a few minutes drinking in her appearance. The leggings she wore showed off her slender but muscular legs, and he found that despite its being slightly too big for her, the way the sweater exposed her shoulder and neck made it all the more appealing. He wished she'd wear more things that left that area open to him. However, her appearance wasn't what had caught his immediate attention. Even before he'd threw open his door he could smell her, and whatever it was that she'd changed had his nose twitching, granted he'd already been traveling down a slippery slope all morning concerning her. He accepted her invitation, and stepped closer to her, his face dangerously close to hers. He ignored her offered locks, and instead allowed his tail to wrap around her waist as he brushed his nose to the side of her head, and inhaled deep.

'Kami, her scent.' He thought heatedly as he reluctantly pulled away from her, his face not betraying his inner turmoil. Whatever she'd used only enhanced her natural scent, and it was driving him insane. He briefly wondered if it may contain some form of a hormone that wouldn't be perceptible to a human, but was intoxicating to a Saiyan. He doubted it, but he'd always had a thing for certain scents.

"Well, what's the verdict?" Bulma asked when she realized he wasn't going to say anything. Something told her to keep him talking.

"Its fine woman." He rumbled as he stared at her, as if seeing her for the first time.

Bulma shifted nervously on her feet. He was acting strange, and she didn't know if it was the fatigue or something else entirely. "Well, come on. We should go get breakfast now. I don't know about you, but I am in serious need of some coffee." She encouraged as she extended her hand toward him.

They stood at the top of the stairs in a surprisingly comfortable atmosphere. Vegeta wasn't certain that the calm was a good thing, but he wasn't about to question it. Bulma on the other hand was slightly relieved that he'd withdrawn. It wasn't that she thought Vegeta would hurt her or that she didn't trust him, it was the fact that her faith in men had been damaged, and she was still trying to put the pieces of her broken heart back together. Trying to be strong when you really weren't only ended up making things worse for her she found, and her most recent run in with Yaumcha served only as a reminder of where she came from. She truly cared for Vegeta, but the closer they got, the more concerned she became. She just couldn't help it. She didn't want to pursue anything with him when she wasn't certain of his feeling for her, or if he was even going to stay on Earth after the androids were defeated and he'd fought Goku. It just wasn't worth her heart breaking a second time. Somehow, she knew that she'd never be whole again if Vegeta were to break her.

She sighed as she looked at Vegeta. He was really struggling to keep himself on his feet. Bruises and cuts littered his body, he had horrible dark circles under his bloodshot eyes, and he was shaking with the effort to maintain his front of being a force to be reckoned with. Well, if she was honest, it wasn't a front. Out of all the men she'd ever met, she'd never known a man as intense, tenacious, and aggressively primal as he was. Even Goku was hesitant to push Vegeta too far. He knew just as well as she that Vegeta was the sleeper fighter. Give him something to fight for, and he could demolish anything standing in his way. However, at this moment, Vegeta lacked one crucial element to his training, recovery. He wasn't giving himself the time to rest, and that was hindering him.

"VEGETA, BULMA, ARE YOU UP? BREAKFAST IS READY!" Mrs. Briefs called from down stairs in the kitchen, drawing the tension out of the air and the attention of the pair standing at the top of the stairs.

"Come on fuzz butt, I'm hungry, and I know you must be starving." Bulma winked as she turned to descend the stairs, for once not waiting for his tail to wrap around her wrist.

Vegeta let out a huff of indignation as his tail lashed out, and wrapped around her wrist before she'd gotten out of reach. He smirked at her startled reaction, which earned him a sharp glare that was ignored in lieu of descending the stairs.

"I think it'd be a good idea if you took a break from training, at least for today." Bulma stated as they entered the living room. She figured it'd be best to give him the chance to have a say before just up and shutting the GR down.

"Fine. Whatever woman. As long as it'll get you off my back." Vegeta groused as they entered the kitchen. He swiftly removed his tail from her wrist, and reached to grab two coffee mugs without being asked. Bulma's surprised expression was reward enough. He knew she'd not be able to reach above her head to retrieve them with her ribs, and he was certain she didn't want her nosy parents catching wind of her close encounter.

Bulma leaned in closer to him when she took the offered mugs. "Thanks." She said, knowing that her double meaning had not gone unnoticed when he'd glanced at her parents before nodding at her. She wasn't just thanking him for retrieving the mugs. If her father found out, Yaumcha would be dead. He'd kill him in his sleep. It was funny how she seemed to have more sway with Vegeta than her own father; she guessed it had to do with everything that'd happened to him. She decided not to dwell on it.

Vegeta had already taken his place at the table, and began to eat when Bulma seated herself. Bunny handed her a plate that'd already been filled, and smiled as she accepted it. Her father was reading the paper per usual, and she couldn't help but look at Vegeta to gage his mood. He didn't seem to notice her eyes on him as he ate. She was surprised to see he wasn't scowling like he normally did, and he seemed more relaxed. She knew his fatigue and hunger had a lot to do with it, but what gave him away was the way his tail swished back and forth contentedly behind him. She smiled around her coffee mug as she raised it to take a sip.

"So, how'd it go last night?" Bulma broke the silence, staring at her father for an answer.

The older man immediately put his paper down, and looked at his daughter.

"HAHAHHAHA! Oh dad, was it that bad?" Bulma laughed quietly as she took in his haggard appearance. His eyes were puffy and bloodshot, his clothes were wrinkled, and his hair was worse than Goku's. The sight was incredible to say the least.

The good doctor just shook his head as he raised his paper, and flipped his daughter off. This only caused her and her mother both to break out into a fit of laughter, and out of the corner of her eye, Bulma caught Vegeta hiding a smirk and a quiet chuckle of his own behind his mug of coffee. Apparently he found the whole situation amusing, and she couldn't help but beam at him.

Vegeta turned his eyes toward the woman seated next to him, and was blown away by the brilliance of her smile. It must have been contagious because he couldn't resist the humored smirk that graced his lips. He shook his head and swatted at her with his tail under the table, earning his thigh a quick smack in retaliation.

"You better watch it woman." He growled playfully as he swatted at her again with his tail.

Bulma just chuckled and rolled her eyes as she took a bite of French toast, and pointed her fork at him in a silent playful warning.

Breakfast continued in absolute harmony, and for the first time Vegeta felt as if he was actually part of something. He looked around the table at the Briefs family unit and allowed a genuine smile to slip. It was brief, and the elders didn't catch it, but Bulma's ever observant eyes did. She didn't say anything, and he assumed she'd missed it, but he didn't know how wrong he was.

Bulma frowned when she noticed his hand shaking as he reached for his mug, and it shook all the way up to his lips. "Hey Vegeta. How about you let me take care of you today? I may not be a fighter, but I know how to speed up your recovery time and maximize your fighting potential. Care to give me a try?" She said as she winked at her father who smirked at her, knowing full well what was coming next.

Vegeta noticed the fleeting glance, but wasn't foolish enough to see that in that split second of eye contact between the woman and her patriarch that there had been an entire conversation exchanged. His instincts screamed at him to deny her request, but his curiosity and desire to become the legendary pushed him to go to any lengths in order to achieve that goal.

"Alright woman. What is it you've got planned? I know that look well enough to know that whatever it is will not bode well for me." Vegeta growled as he glared at her in warning.

"Don't worry Vegeta. Everything I'm going to do to you have been done to Goku, and he's still alive so don't freak out on me just yet." Bulma laughed as she finished her breakfast and rose from her chair to deposit her dishes in the sink.

"Hn, forgive my distrust." He said irritably as he followed suit.

"Well, come on oh wary one, and follow me. I'll warn you. You'll be getting wet, so you'll need to wear your training shorts and nothing else. Meet me in the hall bathroom in fifteen minutes." Bulma demanded as she headed down toward the medical wing without another word.

Vegeta glanced back towards the table at the elder Briefs with a hint of apprehension. He was fairly certain she wasn't planning on harming him, but being weakened as he was, he couldn't risk it. She'd be able to do a decent amount of damage if she decided to use any of her inventions against him. He just didn't have that much energy left in his body.

He sighed as he trudged up the stairs and entered his room. He slid out of his pjs and boxers, and donned his pair of training shorts. He didn't have a good feeling about this, but he decided to man up, or Saiyan up, and just deal with it. He wiggled his bare toes against his carpet in agitation before heaving a great sigh, and exiting his bedroom, crossing the short distance to the bathroom.

'What the hell is that woman doing?' He thought as he stared at her through the open door. She had a towel hanging on the rack, and one on the floor. There were buckets of ice lying by her side, and as the tub filled with water, she added a little more ice to the tub. He hesitated when he watched her turn the last bucket upside down, and the ice splashed into the water, he could hear each piece pop and crack as the water adjusted its temp. He just knew nothing good could come from a tub full of ice cold, ice water.

"Woman, may I ask what you're doing?" He growled as his tail tightened around his waist. He had a vague idea of what she was going to attempt to make him do, but he was very certain she'd not get within ten feet of him if that were the case.

Bulma could see that he was about ready to turn tail and run. Goku had been the same way, though having her dad stand ready at the entrance to the bathroom with a needle full of sedatives had been incentive enough to get his butt in the tub. Vegeta, on the other hand, was nothing like Goku, and shier force or manipulation of that persuasion would not be effective. She had to think fast if she wanted to get him to comply.

"I'll not insult your intelligence. Yes, I want you to submerge yourself in the ice bath for twenty minutes."

Vegeta's eyes were like saucers as he shook his head, and advanced on her. "HELL NO! What purpose could that possibly serve in helping me heal, and get back to my training?" He demanded in a voice that spoke volumes of his irritation and disbelief.

Bulma chuckled as she allowed him to back her into the bathroom. At least he was in the room, it was one step closer to her intended goal.

"Listen, your muscles are full of lactic acid, and its causing you more pain. By lowering your body temperature your body will draw all warmth closer to your core to sustain your vital organs. In doing this, it will pull the lactic acid out of your muscles, and speed up the healing process. Goku did it, albeit he was not happy about my methods of getting him in there, but he did, and even now, he'll come over for an ice bath ever so often after a particularly hard battle or spar." Bulma explained as she maneuvered around him toward the medicine cabinet.

Vegeta granted her passage to her intended destination, but he nearly smacked his head against the wall when she abruptly turned from the cabinet empty handed, and threw herself at the door, shutting and locking it. She knew damn good and well that if he wanted out, he could get out, but it was the principle of the thing. She really didn't want him to leave. He grimaced as he glanced back at the water, and the ice floating on its surface.

"GET IN FUZZ BUTT!" Bulma said as she gave him a substantial shove toward the tub. Being off balance as it was leaning to gaze into the frigid mess, and having not the energy, Vegeta couldn't right himself in time. He fell face first into the frigid water, and once he righted himself in the water. He let out the most undignified string of swears and curses!

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! FUCK, FUCK, FUCK! KAMI FUCKING DAMN IT! THIS IS FUCKING FRIGID! WHY WOULD ANYONE WILLINGLY DO THIS! WOMAN, YOU"RE INSANE!" Vegeta bellowed trying desperately to get out of the tub. However, his body was exhausted, and the added shock of the frigid water had rendered his muscles useless. He frowned around chattering teeth at his traitorous body before casting her an extremely irritated look.

Bulma laughed and laughed at his reaction to the cold water, and silently thanked Kami for Vegeta's inability to move. She couldn't help the amusement she felt as she watched the different emotions play across his face. His lips were already turning blue, he was shaking from head to toe, cursing in a myriad of languages she'd never heard, and he was bouncing between shock, anger, pain, confusion, anxiety, some form of desperation, and was basically having a nervous break- down while lying motionless in the tub. He looked like a cat who had just resigned itself to being forced to bathe. However, just like a cat, she knew he'd do something to get back at her later, most likely when he was sure she'd forgotten about it.

"Ok, now, you have fifteen more minutes to go before I can get you out of there. Let me know if you need anything." Bulma said with a grin as she perched herself on top of the vanity, and proceeded to flip through a magazine.

He glared at her from his position in the ice for all he was worth, and vowed to get back at the blue haired witch for her torture. He tried to lift his tail out of the freezing soup, but something was wrong.

"Woman…"

"Yes?" Bulma said in a sing song voice that raised his hackles.

"… I can't feel my tail."

Bulma's eyes widened. "Oh, that's probably not good."

Author's Note: Okay! Here's another chapter. There is a method to my madness I promise. Unfortunately, I was going to try and make this chapter a lemon, but… um… well, let's just say I don't feel comfortable with my writing of them. I may add a hint of lime, just so you get the point, but I really don't feel I'm quite there yet. Sorry to those of you expecting some really detailed scenes. O_o! Now, during our next installment we will find out what happens to our surly prince during Bulma's "treatment", and we'll get to see how Vegeta takes everything. We'll also see what happens when Yaumcha makes a special appearance. As always, read and review!


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Confusion and Confession

Author's Note: I've been psychotically busy, and I apologize for the delay in my update. I've not abandoned the story, and I'll not get into all the stuff that's been going on with me. However, due to some recent harassment by a few reviewers I was forced to post this next you don't like my story, don't read it, and most certainly don't review it. I'll write it the way I see fit because it is my story. I'm becoming a little irritated, and the continuance of this story is hanging by a thread. This isn't a threat or anything, I'm just being honest. All the stuff going on right now has me not wanting to write. I have crazy writer's block that I don't think I'll be able to shake for a while, but I know you all have been waiting for this chapter, and I hope Its not a disappointment. So, I'll tentatively say, read and review.

The situation would have been funny had Vegeta not been slightly panic stricken, and angry. Sure the face he was making was priceless, but then again, she couldn't bring herself to laugh at such a possibly serious situation considering the man in question. Instead she concentrated on not over reacting to keep him from freaking out any more than he already was.

"What do you mean you can't feel your tail?" She asked, trying to clarify his meaning. She'd been in this situation before, but she wanted to make sure that things weren't any worse than they'd been before.

Vegeta scrunched up his nose, and growled at her. "What the hell do you mean, what do I mean? I FUCKING CAN'T FEEL THE DAMN THING!" He roared as his teeth chattered. Panic was starting to seep into his conscious, and he fought to not completely lose his sense of calm.

Bulma reached forward in an attempt to gently move his tail out of the water for inspection, but was intercepted by a large hand on her forearm. She cast Vegeta a reassuring look, but it soon faded to one of uncertainty and fear. He was glaring at her, and despite the chattering in his teeth, she could still tell he was baring them at her. Sure enough, a low rumble of a growl rose into his throat, and he tossed her away from him in one swift motion.

"OW! VEGETA, CALM DOWN! There has to be a rational explanation for this." Bulma said as she barely kept herself from completely toppling over by catching herself on a towel rack. "Just let me see." Bulma yelled out as she clutched her abused ribs, and staggered to stand in front of the irate male. She couldn't blame his reaction. She'd probably be freaking out too, but in his panicked state he was already starting to hurt her, and what little fear of him still had baring in her mind, started to surface again.

Vegeta stood from the icy water, his tail hanging limp between his legs. He tried to move it, but a burning, tingling sensation shot from its base all the way up to his head causing him to grit his teeth against the pain. He glared at the little Blue haired woman standing in front of the only exit, and roared at her to move out of the way.

"Vegeta please, you're okay! Just calm down for a minute, and let me see your tail." Bulma urged as she slowly made her way closer to the dripping wet, and agitated male, arm outstretched as if to ward off any attack. This had happened one time with Goku, but he was hands down the easier of the two to handle. The poor boy had nearly cried at the thought of losing his tail, but they'd quickly figured out that all they needed to do was keep his tail out of the icy water to keep him from seizing up. She just couldn't believe she'd forgotten to warn Vegeta about the possible loss of feeling. She was such an air-head sometimes.

Vegeta bristled at her approach, and took a step back, his heel hitting the side of the tub, and he narrowed his eyes at her as she came to a halt directly in front of him. He didn't want to hurt her, but for some reason he was wondering if she hadn't planned this whole charade all along. He growled at her, but made no move to stop her when her delicate hand touched his side before trailing down, and around to the base of his tail. She gently allowed it to pass through her hands as she brought it up and around to his front for examination, and he growled instinctively when he couldn't even feel the gentle sensation. Normally her tiny hands on his tail would have sent him into a near fit, but at the moment, all he felt like doing was ripping her head off for the whole situation. It was all her fault. He should have never agreed to this in the first place, what was wrong with him?

"You better find out what's wrong and fix it woman before something bad happens." He raged as his breathing increased with his anger, and he fixed his murderous gaze on her tiny head.

Bulma shivered in fear at the tone of his voice. There was a promise laced into his words, and she didn't doubt that she would be on the receiving end of some pretty terrible treatment if his tail was damaged permanently because of her. All she'd been trying to do was help him, but as it was, all she'd done was make things worse. Why was it that everything involving Vegeta turned sour.

"You Saiyans are acclimated to a warmer climate, your tail is just shocked that's all. Here, come with me. You'll be fine. The same thing happened to Goku the first time." Bu;ma said as she watched his features morph from extreme rage to extreme annoyance.

"Oh come on, Please don't look at me like that. I'm sorry I didn't think to warn you. I guess I thought you'd know what would happen to your own tail." Bulma said meekly as she released his limp tail, and tried to take his hand. He looked as if he was going to kill her, and she shuddered. Her instincts were telling her to run and hide, but logic won out, and she knew better than to leave Vegeta alone while in the state he was in.

Vegeat swatted her hand away before crossing his arms, and turning his head away from her. He wasn't doing anything else for her. She'd already caused enough damage.

Bulma made an ow sound as she shook her abused appendage. She then glared at him, and released an irritated huff before turning toward the door, and opening it with more force than was necessary.

"You stay there. I'll be right back." She said as she made her way to the linen closet. She scrounged around on the top shelf blindly, hoping to come across the cord to her heating pad. She was just about to give up and grab a chair due to her burning ribs, but at long last, her fingers wrapped around the cord, and she was able to yank the blasted thing off the shelf. She smiled triumphantly to herself, and turned only to run into a brick wall.

"OH, Kami, don't do that, Vegeta." Bulma gasped when she raised her eyes toward the angry Saiyan standing right behind her. Apparently he'd been glaring daggers at her back. She rolled her eyes in irritation before grabbing his hand, and pulling him as hard as she could. She knew she couldn't move him, but she hoped he'd follow her.

"What is that, and what the hell do you think you're doing?" Vegeta growled as he watched her turn a few flaps of the little mat over in her hand, uncovering a dial on the cord which she turned. He wasn't sure what the woman had planned, but he was torn between allowing her to "fix" the problem she herself caused or just cutting her off entirely.

"It's my heating pad. You just have to give me a chance. Here, when this warms up I'll wrap your tail in it, and we'll warm it up all nice and tosty." She beamed as she continued to pull.

He eyed her skeptically, but despite every fiber of his being screaming at him to bite her and run, he allowed her tiny hand that had somehow managed to encircle his larger one to guide him toward the kitchen. He wasn't sure why she was bringing him to the kitchen, but he was just too tired and irritated to really care. He growled and grumbled the entire way, and Bulma had to stifle a few giggles when she heard her nick name "woman" being thrown into his foreign rants.

"This is your last chance female." He warned as he allowed her to push him down into one of the chairs. He watched as she pulled a second chair right beside him and slightly behind. She then took the pad and set it on the chair before gently wrapping his tail inside it. He could feel the warmth seeping into his tail, and the sensation was not at all unpleasant.

"There, all snug as a bug in a rug." She giggled, trying to lighten the mood. However, one look at the stony features of the man sitting at the table told her that there would be no lightening of anyone's mood. She frowned, and without thinking of the repercussions, bent forward, and placed a chaste kiss against his temple before ruffling his upswept locks.

Vegeta's eyes widened considerably, but his face betrayed no other emotion to the little woman. He watched as she took a seat across the table from him. He notices how she was eying the clock on the oven ever so often.

The two sat in awkward silence for over thirty minutes before Bulma rose from her chair, and tentatively reached under the heating blanket. She unwrapped the heating pad enough to see his tail. The fur was slightly damp with perspiration, and she could feel the warmth radiating off it like a miniature heater. She gently poked the appendage before looking at the back of Vegeta's head to see if he felt it.

Vegeta's body stiffened, and he growled as he turned his head to glare at her, his tail slithering out from the confines of the pad to wrap securely around his waist.

"OH LOOK!" Bulma squealed as she watched him move the limb subconsciously.

Vegeta jumped a little at her sudden exclamation, but as he felt the familiar pressure and sensations begin to flood his tail, he purred in delight and relief. The little female had been right, and he was beginning to feel slightly foolish for believing her to have plotted against him. However, he'd have to remember this little incident for future reference if he ever found himself in a similar situation. Cold water equals frozen tail.

"You're lucky your little plan worked female. Never do anything like that again." He scolded as he stretched out the stiff muscles in his tail before examining it himself, and preening the discheveled fur to a pristine shimmer. The cold had done him some good, he'd have to give her that, but going from one extreme to the other left him feeling somewhat fatigued.

"You hungry?" Bulma asked, trying desperately to ignore the comment. The threat laced into those words sinking in completely, his tail was not something to be messed with. She doubted even he was aware of it, but she knew damn good and well how important his tail was to him. The fact that he didn't seem to care how silly he looked licking his hands and fur as he groomed himself proof of that. She wouldn't be given a second chance, and she didn't even want one.

Vegeta stared at her for a few moments, trying to make out the change in her voice. She seemed unsure of herself, and upon further inspection he could tell that she was indeed unsure, in fact, she seemed rather skittish. He couldn't place her change of demeanor, and frankly he didn't really want to. So he just rolled his eyes, and ignored it giving his tail one final lick before letting it fall to sway behind him.

"Yes woman. Has there ever been a time where I didn't want food?" He growled sarcastically as he scanned the room with his eyes, for what, he wasn't sure. He knew he was a little paranoid, but it never dawned on him just how bad he'd been. He had a gut feeling that something was not quite right, but he brushed it aside as he watched the woman work intently on his lunch.

Bulma furrowed her brow as she noticed Vegeta scan the kitchen. He seemed suddenly deep in thought, and she wasn't sure if she should disturb him. However, she had set out to help him, and despite the minor set-back with his tail she planned to make good on her word.

"Alright then, let's get some food in your stomach. I've got some different foods, a protein smoothy, and some supplements I want you to take." Bulma said as she went about preparing his meal.

Vegeta paid her no mind as he sat back in his chair, allowing his eyes to drift shut. A little nap couldn't hurt, and it would take the woman quite a while to finish up his meal. His mind had just shuffled all of the tumultuous thoughts back into place, and was fading into oblivion when a loud grinding and whirring sound nearly toppled him from his chair.

Bulma peered over her shoulder as she held the blender's lid in place, and laughed before awing at Vegeta's startled expression. He was sprawled in an awkward position. The back of the chair was saved from toppling by the wall, and his legs were splayed on either side if the seat, heels flat to the floor. His arms were out slightly akimbo, as if prepared to grab hold of something, anything to steady himself, and his face betrayed him for just a moment before he righted himself, and humphed in clear embarrassment.

"OH! I'm sorry Vegeta. I didn't think you were going to take a nap, If I'd known I would have warned you about the blender." Bulma laughed as she turned off the ear drum splitting contraption, poured two glasses of the bluish mixture, and returned to the table. She sipped hers as she held out the other glass to Vegeta, and made a mmm sound from behind her glass.

Vegeta smirked at the quirky female as he accepted the offered glass. He sniffed its contents, and after finding it quite pleasant, followed the females lead, and took a generous sip.

"Well, ya like?" She asked as she set her glass down on the table before turning back to the counter to finish preparing her special meal. He had succeeded in malnourishing himself through his crazy training regime. He was wearing his body thin by not replenishing his body's resources enough through what he was eating. Human food was prepared, and made specifically with humans and their nutritional need in mind. A Saiyan however, required more from their food than what was standard on Earth. Chi Chi was an amazing cook, and able to cater to Goku's nutritional needs. She wasn't a great cook, but she was able to supplement the necessary nutrients into already prepared meals, compliments of her mother. Therefore, it didn't take her long to prepare his meal.

Vegeta watched her curiously as she removed already made meals, and began adding odd things to them. His old paranoia set in, and despite her kindness and affections toward him in the past, he couldn't sit idly by as she tampered with food she intended to feed him. He finished off his glass, and slammed it down on the table before stalking up behind her.

Bulma read the label on the supplement she was about to use before unscrewing the cap. She was just about to pour it in, but a strong grip on her wrist startled her, and caused her to drop the bottle onto the counter, spilling the pills. She whirled her head around, wide eyed, and struggled to find words as she stared at a rather confused and annoyed Saiyan.

Vegeta was staring at her with unmasked irritation. He hated being paranoid, but old habits died hard. He held her wrist up, and forced her body to turn, effectively pinning her between his body and the counter. He could smell her fear, but it was mixed with confusion. He let a low rumble escape his lips as he stared at her, his way of demanding an answer to his unspoken question.

Bulma struggled to breathe through her aching ribs. Her fear and confusion only intensified, and she pressed her back further into the counter trying to get away from him. He was acting more aggressively toward her since the tail incident, and she could only assume he was more paranoid than ever. The look on his face was one she had only seen when he'd first come to stay with her. The day he was staring at the food her mother had laid out. It didn't take her long to figure out what his deal was, and she struggled to get her voice, but the pressure he was applying on her damaged ribs took her breath away.

Vegeta studied her expression, and his eyes widened slightly through his glare before he released his hold on her wrist, and lightened up his stance, allowing her the room she needed. He hadn't intended to harm her, and had he not paid close attention to her, he would have never guessed her silence was caused by his pressure on her damaged ribs. Guilt suddenly swept through his chest as he stared at her. She was rubbing her wrist, and looking at him like he'd just told her he liked to take it up the ass.

"Vegeta, you act as if I'm intentionally trying to hurt you! I know that I messed up, but I honestly didn't intend for that to happen to your beautiful tail." Bulma said on a ragged breath as she clutched her wrist to her chest and used her arm to rub her ribs. She had a hunch that her wrist was going to be bruised after his bout of grabbiness. She knew he must have had a reason for cornering her against the counter, but for the life of her she couldn't figure out what she'd done this time.

"What did I do this time? I honestly don't know what you're so worked up about." Bulma said as she stared up at him.

Vegeta's countenance softened against the bewilderment, and accusation in her voice. He glanced around the room, unwilling to meet her gaze as a faint blush tinted his cheeks at her backhanded compliment to his tail. He clenched his jaw, unwilling to offer her an explanation. He wasn't willing to embarrass himself, not in front of her, not again. His eyes settled on the bottle lying upended on the counter, and he glanced at her before reaching behind her.

Bulma watched his expressions change so rapidly she couldn't even follow, but when he refused to meet her gaze, she knew one thing for sure, he hadn't meant to hurt her. Vegeta wasn't a man of words, he was a man of action, but despite his silence he had his tells. He couldn't lie to her with those eyes. She watched as he reached behind her and picked up the bottle he'd made her drop. There were still plenty of tablets still inside as he handed it to her without making eye contact.

'What is going on in that head of yours?' She thought quietly as she accepted the bottle that he offered, and set it back on the counter, and stared at him expectantly.

Vegeta shifted slightly, and looked down before staring at her. He opened his mouth, then shut it again before growling at himself, mentally chastising his sudden lack of a back bone.

Bulma was just about to pry when a loud pounding on the door attracted both their attentions. Vegeta's hackles raised and he let out a low growl as he turned to glare over his shoulder at the door as if it had offended him, while Bulma took advantage of his momentary distraction to slip past him, and slowly make her way across the living room. She didn't even bother to glance through the viewer she was so thankful for the escape, and immediately regretted that decision when the door swung open, and her eyes settled on the tiny and obviously cowed Yaumcha. She frowned at him as she crossed her arms protectively around her ribs, and cleared her throat, urging him to speak his peace so she could slam the door in his face. She was in no mood to deal with his excuses and petty attempts at half assed apologies.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled out as he scratched the back of his head, shuffled his foot, and refused to meet her gaze.

Bulma's eyes widened considerably, and she let out an indignant huff as she squared her stance in the doorway. The audacity of that man had her nearly speechless, nearly.

"You're sorry. That's all you have to say to me? I think I deserve more of an apology than that Yaumcha. I've never done anything to even remotely deserve that kind of treatment." Bulma growled at him her pearly white teeth clenched together as the words barely made it past her lips.

'Idiot.' She thought as she glared daggers at him.

She could hear stifled laughter from the living room archway, and her eye ticked in annoyance. His royal pain must have found the whole situation rather comical. Had she not been the recipient of his most recent tantrum, she may have found it funny as well, but things being as they were, she was more than a little pissed.

Vegeta's perch within the house allowed him a clear view of both the woman and her ex. Judging by the black eye and insane amount of scratches and bruises that littered the weaklings entire body, he could safely say that the tiny, hell cat of a woman gave as good as she got in a fight. However, it was apparent that she still stood no chance against even the weakest of men if death was what they were intending. He frowned, and moved closer toward the couple, wishing that intervention would not be necessary. He was too drained physically, and all he wanted was a good meal, and a long nap.

"Bulma, please, will you just talk to me? I'm not trying to get back together with you or anything, but I really want to talk to you." Yaumcha said, feeling extremely uncomfortable airing their personal business out on her front lawn. He felt so white trash. His eyes hardened in determination as he reached out and took a firm, but gentle hold on her wrist as she started to back away from the door.

"Yaumcha, let go. I'm not going to talk to you right now. I'm busy. When I have a free moment, and I actually want to talk, I'll give you a call. Right now, I want you to leave." Bulma said as she stared pointedly at him, not even bothering to pull away, he wasn't hurting her.

Yaumcha shifted nervously, and opened his mouth to speak, but immediately snapped his jaw shut, and turned a sickly shade of white. His eyes were wide, and he released his hold on her wrist immediately before he took a hesitant step back on her stoop. He stared past her, into the living room, and tried to swallow the rather large lump that was forming in his throat.

"What the hell…" Bulma started to rage until she heard, and felt it. That growl, that low, deep, guttural, I'm going to tear your heart out and eat it while you watch growl. She felt it vibrating through her chest, and knew all too well who it belonged to. Her gaze slowly drifted to where Yaumcha's terrified gaze was fixed, and she had to suppress a shudder when she realized just how close Vegeta was to her. She could feel his hot breath fanning against her neck. It was coming out in snorted huffs, and she was instantly reminded of his promise the night before. A cold chill ran down her spine as she thought of being forced to watch Vegeta shred her ex-boyfriend like paper, the same way he'd done those villagers. Her stomach lurched, and she knew she had to do something, and fast. Despite his ill treatment of her, Bulma wasn't about to have Yaumcha's blood on her conscience, nor on Vegeta's hands.

"I suggest you leave Yaumcha. Don't tempt me to let Vegeta have his way. I'll not intervene for you the way I did your little slut." Bulma said in a deadpan voice. She was trying her hardest not to add to the tension that was already hanging thick in the air. She didn't know how easily Vegeta would be set off after the day's earlier events. He was ready to pounce any minute, and she briefly wondered why he hadn't already. He was just standing there, glaring and gnashing his teeth while growling angrily at the man standing at the threshold of her home. He must have been a lot more tired than she thought.

When the man didn't move or even bat an eye, Bulma's anger skyrocketed. "GET THE FUCK OFF MY PROPERTY!" She screamed at him, taking a step closer, and huffing in his face.

Yaumcha was momentarily struck by her outburst. Yes she was extremely volatile, but even she had never shown that much malice toward him in the past. He stammered, and tried to come up with some sort of comeback in order to smooth things over, but shut his mouth when he realized it was impossible.

Vegeta's tail lashed out, and wrapped around Bulma's upper thigh. The blood was rushing to his eyes, and he needed to ground himself somehow. He knew the little female would be extremely distraught over the scarred weakling's death, but at the moment his instincts were raging at him to end the sorry excuse for a fighter's pathetic life for raising a hand against her.

"Did you not hear her? Scat you insignificant little insect before I crush you under my boot." Vegeta raged in a voice that was edged on a growl.

Bulma shivered at the sound. He sounded like a wild animal, and part of her was afraid to be standing so close to him in that moment, but she dared not move for fear of bringing his unholy fury upon her ex. She cast her eyes back toward Yaumcha in one final attempt to convince him that leaving was in his best interest.

"Yaumcha. Just go." She finally pleaded bordering on exhaustion.

Sensing her inner turmoil, Vegeta's patience finally started to grow thin, but he was quite surprised when the weakling made another grab for her wrist, and she effectively blocked his hand, and landed a solid right hook to his jaw.

Yaumcha stumbled back a few steps, but caught his balance before he fell on his ass. He glared at Bulma, and hardened his gaze before taking a step forward, ready to strike back if necessary. He'd had enough of her attitude; who was she trying to fool. She might have been able to hold her own against a regular human, but she knew damn good and well that she didn't have what it took to back up her threats when it came to him. He wasn't a man who'd been raised that hitting girls wasn't acceptable behavior.

Bulma saw the look in her ex's eyes, and the tightening in her chest became painfully stifling. That look had once caused her to fear for her own well being, but at that moment, she feared for his life instead. Vegeta had been more than clear what would happen if he stepped foot on the compound again, but apparently her repeated demands for his swift retreat had fallen on deaf ears.

"Ya know what Yaumcha, fine. I'm done, have things your way." Bulma said as she leaned against the doorframe more than ready to go with the flow of things.

That one step the weakling had taken forward after the females very clear physical display had sent a message, a message that the earthling warrior hadn't gotten her warning. Vegeta's tail bristled, and he squared his stance. The way she'd effectively backed off also send a message, one that he read loud and clear. He snorted in disgust, his nose wrinkled as he bared his teeth in a ferocious snarl. Either the worm was deaf, dumb or had a death wish, either way, the instinct to kill the insignificant little fuck was thrumming in his head, but the tiny female's fluctuating ki kept him grounded, just barely. Despite her blatant consent for him to rid her of the weakling's presence, he hesitated. He didn't want her to change her mind half way through the ass kicking.

Yaumcha pointed his finger at his ex girlfriend with force. "Bulma, come on, enough of this. Let's just talk this over like adults. Call off your hound!" He growled as he gestured toward the man standing directly behind her. He was losing patience. Sure, he'd over reacted, but who wouldn't when dealing with such a stubborn woman. Why couldn't she just be like every other girl, and go with the flow, let him do whatever he wanted?

Bulma wasn't sure what happened, but one minute Yaumcha's hand had shot out and coiled painfully around her upper arm, yanked her forward, and rocked her off balance, the next, she was steady on her feet and Vegeta had Yaumcha suspended in the air by his throat.

Her eyes widened exponentially, but she made no sound of protest. She watched as Vegeta drew the now terrified male mere inches from his own face, teeth gnashing in his rage. Yaumcha had effectively wet his pants, and the putrid stench of urine hit her nose like a ton of bricks. She wrinkled her nose in disgust, but kept her eyes glued to the scene unfolding on her snow covered front lawn. It wasn't like she and Vegeta hadn't given him ample opportunities to leave. He'd brought it upon himself.

Vegeta was slowly choking the life out of the weaker warrior, Yaumcha's hands clawing at his attacker. He was leaving light half moon indentations all over the stronger man's hands, arms, and chest as he flailed about, clawing, and struggling to maintain consciousness. Just as the darkness threatened to take over Yaumcha heard a hollow and sickening snap, and felt the air rush from his lungs only to be filled by an overwhelming pain, and the uncontrollable urge to cough.

Bulma flinched and grimaced as she watched Vegeta's forearm slam into Yaumcha's chest, snapping his ribs, and sending blood gushing out his mouth and onto Vegeta's face and chest. She knew that Vegeta was either going to kill her ex, or beat him badly enough that he would think long and hard before setting foot on his territory again.

Vegeta squinted one eye, and batted it a few times to clear his vision of the blood that splattered in it. He growled low before bringing his mouth to the man's ear. He intended to make his point in the simplest way he knew how.

"If I catch your sorry ass sniffing around here again, I'll soak the Earth with your guts. You can thank the woman for my sparing your life. I've killed you once. I've tasted human flesh, and I've no remorse for the blood that I've spilt, least of all yours. Now, get your pathetic excuse of a worthless life out of my sight before I disregard the oath I made to the woman, and end your life here and now." He bit out in a harsh growling whisper as he sliced the man's ear with his canines for emphasis, relishing in the squeal and jerk of terror he received. "Now get lost." He snarled before tossing the battered and beaten man to the snow covered ground, and watched him writhe around in the white and yellow powder for a few seconds before struggling to his feet and staggering out the front gate, too injured to fly the twelve or so blocks back to his apartment. Vegeta's eyes followed the weaklings retreating form till it was out of sight, before turning back to the woman he left standing in the doorway.

Vegeta's snarl faded only to be replaced by deep frown as his eyes settled on the woman who was leaning against the doorway, staring at the bloodied snow as if mesmerized.

Bulma jumped slightly before raising her blue eyes toward Vegeta's deep chocolate brown almost black ones when she felt a slight tap against her thigh. She stared at him for a moment before taking her longer sleeve and wiping her nose with it. She felt like a child at the moment, but she didn't care. She'd seen more blood, gore, and violence in her life than any other woman her age, and she was sick of it. Her father's profession had been gruesome to say the least, and she'd seen her fair share of mutilations. Years of counseling, some medication, and a few months in a psych. Ward hadn't helped her with a damn thing. The fact that she didn't seem fazed by it had caused alarm within the medical community, spurring all the "treatments" however, once she gave her father the word that she'd had enough of their prodding, he'd allowed her to return to her normal routine, doing his best to not bring work home with him in the future. She knew from past experience that Vegeta hadn't really hurt Yaumcha bad, he'd mostly just roughed him up, but she still hated to see it. It was one thing to watch a complete stranger suffer, but someone she'd known intimately, that was never easy. Her heart was still hammering in her chest from her adrenaline rush, her chest was throbbing, and she could hardly breathe. The cold wasn't helping any as she shivered uncontrollably. How she hated the cold. She glared up at the sky as if it was the source of all her troubles.

He grimaced when a growl of annoyance tore from her throat, and a scowl marred her normally beautiful face. His throat tightened, and he fought to swallow the large lump there. He'd never seen her behave in such a way, he didn't like that she was in pain, and he most certainly didn't like the sudden change in her demeanor. He'd seen that look before on soldiers who'd seen too much, and were ill equipped to deal with their emotional pain. Many of them either died, killed themselves, or went mad. There were the lucky few who simply shut down, and he was starting to think that she was one of those few individuals who shut down. He watched as she struggled internally with her emotions before schooling her face. Oh how intimately familiar he was with that routine. Apparently humans were not entirely incapable of self-control. Despite his musings on the female's inner workings, Vegeta couldn't help but wonder how it seemed that no matter what he did he always found a way to screw things up. He was never meant to play the hero role, of that he was certain. Why else did he suck at it so badly? He didn't know much about the act, but what he'd seen taught him that her reaction was not typical.

"Woman, he'll be fine, once he gets a new pair of shorts, that is." Vegeta said, trying to lighten her mood. The awkwardness he felt not lightening in the least.

Bulma choked on a laugh as she tried to ease the tension she felt inside at the sight of the bloody snow. Despite everything he'd done, she couldn't stay mad at him. He wasn't even remotely good at consoling anyone, but for some reason it was endearing that he was trying. He'd protected her, and exacted his own form of justice against Yaumcha on her behalf, she owed it to him to suck it up. Despite his outburst, he did deserve her thanks.

He watched as she struggled to compose herself, but her emotional outburst had wreaked havoc on her bruised ribs, and he could see the pain etched on her features. He reached out, and brushed some snow from her blue tresses before striding past her into the warmth of the house. He paused momentarily, and extended his tail.

Bulma raised her wrist, and allowed his tail to slink around it before following him back into her house. She kicked the door shut behind them, and eyed the kitchen with a smile.

Vegeta was completely put off his guard. The little female's reaction to his behavior wasn't anything he was familiar with. Hell, he'd killed entire civilizations, and cared not for any of the pissing, moaning, and crying that had happened. However, her stoicism moved him in a way he'd never experienced. He didn't like it one bit, but found himself powerless to respond in any other way. This female was normally energetic and happy. Sure she talked more than he'd like, but she was endearing. Her intuitiveness and at times quirky mentality were contagious. He didn't like how, blank she was at the moment.

Bulma marveled in silence as he ascended the stairs toward her room. He toed open her door, and motioned for her to sit on her bed. She said nothing as she did what he asked. Once settled, she curled her legs under her Indian style, her hands resting gently in her lap as she blinked her eyes and cocked her head curiously as she waited for him to emerge.

Vegeta kicked open the vanity door, and snagged a wash rag from within, kicking it closed once more as he ran it under a warm tap. After wringing out the extra water he re-emerged into his room, and returned to her side. It was as if he was having an out of body experience as he stood at the end of her bed, the rag dripping on the floor as he held it in his left hand.

Bulma's eyes never left his larger form as he returned to stand in front of her. However, she'd expected him to merely hand her the cloth to warm her face. She had to suppress a surprised gasp when he gently cradled her face in one hand as he wiped the snow from her face, and warmed her snow nipped cheeks.

"Either you're more of an idiot than I originally thought or you're a bloody saint." Vegeta said as he withdrew his hand, and the cloth, setting it on his night stand before returning his gaze toward her. She completely confused and shamed him. She was the only creature who had ever made him regret his past transgressions. The thing that angered him more than the weak human's ill treatment of her was his own. He'd been absolutely savage with her from the very beginning, and it angered him how she could make his stomach churn with guilt, and the desire to make amends for his past.

Bulma blushed at his off- hand compliment, and offered him a humble smile. She was most definitely no saint, but considering the kind of life he'd come from, forgiveness was most likely a foreign concept.

"I'm most definitely no angel, but thank you. I do feel like an idiot though. I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment, huh? I really should just listen to my gut and get while the gettins good. I stayed with him too long. Hell, even Goku told me to just end it before it got real bad. Sometimes you just gotta learn the hard way. I just don't like to burn my bridges." She laughed humorlessly as she folded her hands inside her sleeves.

Vegeta's eyes stared down at her lap as he watched her fiddle with her sleeves. He could tell she was uncomfortable, but he'd never pegged her to be insecure. He stared at her eyes, and it finally clicked. For all her bravado, she was an extremely timid female. She put on a very convincing front with her bubbly and take charge attitude, and the way she spoke her mind, and wasn't afraid to push her friends around. However, as he truly studied her expression while they talked, he realized how much she was hiding. He briefly wondered if even her close friends were able to see through her charade.

'Perhaps Kakkarot's former behavior was well founded.' Vegeta thought as he remembered back to the times that Kakkarot had doted upon her, and how gentle he was with her compared to the others, and even his own mate. He suddenly felt foolish for suspecting a deeper attachment to the little female on the third classes part. Kakkarot apparently considered her family, a sister, if he remembered correctly. If he felt such a strong desire to protect her after such a short time, he could only imagine how strong that desire was from a Saiyan who was practically raised by her. He suddenly felt himself envying the third class Saiyan for more than just his super Saiyan status.

"Are you hurt woman?" He suddenly asked as he schooled his features, a tight frown on his face as he gently reached forward to gesture toward where Yaumcha had grabbed at her. He wasn't about to confess that he may have over reacted to the situation, but given the weakling's history he'd not wanted to take a chance. However, the woman's melancholy attitude was starting to rub him the wrong way.

"I'm ok." Bulma offered him a genuine smile as she raised her sleeve to prove she was truly fine, and that there were no marks on her flesh. She may be weaker than the males in her life, but she was far from easily bruised.

"My ribs do hurt though, and I'm tired." She confessed. The events of the day had worn on her frayed nerves, and she'd not slept well considering her pain. She was still unnerved by the whole incident, but what really unnerved her was the complete and utter comfort in Vegeta's gaze as he toyed with Yaumcha. It was hard for him to change, she knew that, but she had been forgetting he wasn't human more and more lately. She wasn't sure when it happened, but she was starting to see him as a man, not some blood thirsty alien who was turning her life upside down.

Vegeta nodded his head as he rose from the bed. Bulma watched him move without making any move herself. She was rather comfortable where she was, and the longer she stayed, the more she wanted to simply crawl under the comforter and sleep, but she was pretty sure he wouldn't be too keen on that. He had to be hungry, and she knew he wasn't about to forgo a meal for her sake. For all his faults, there were many, his virtues were enviable. He was extremely hard working and tenacious, extremely loyal to those he cared about, he was honest and blunt to a fault, he could be kind when he wanted to be, and would more than likely risk his life to protect those he felt worthy of it. He did keep most people at a distance, but he'd been unusually attentive to her. She couldn't help but admire him. There was more to him than he let others see, and even she was beginning to see that she'd just barely begun to scratch the surface of who he truly was.

Vegeta stared down at her for a moment as if debating with himself. He opened his mouth as if to say something before clenching his jaw shut. Instead, he reached forward, took a gentle hold of her, and hoisted her back to her feet, and motioned toward her bureau. He could still see her shivering, and wasn't about to take care of her once she caught what human's called a cold. The daft female's mother had contracted one, and there was nothing more disgusting.

"I suggest you change out of your wet clothes before you catch your death. Standing in the snow like that most certainly isn't doing you any favors. Oh, and I'm still hungry woman." He frowned as his stomach did an angry flop, but remained silent.

"Uhhh." She huffed, but shut her mouth before her indignation could shine through. He had taken care of her, and she had promised him a well prepared meal, in fact , it was still waiting for him down in the kitchen. Sighing, she nodded her head, she was starting to get a little hungry herself. She turned deftly toward her bureau, and opened a few drawers, taking out a pair of older than dirt dark grey sweatpants that were littered with blue, purple, black, and green smears of paint, and two large black hand prints on the ass cheeks. She then selected a black tank top and some purple socks, and her favorite grey hoodie. She tossed the articles on her bed, and without thinking stripped off her wet clothes, dropping them to her floor.

Vegeta's eyes widened, and he allowed them to roam over the tiny female's back side. He could see the angry bruises that littered her ribs, but that wasn't what caught his attention. Her choice in undergarments left little to the imagination. His right hand hung lifelessly in front of his body while his left hand rest around his right wrist, his legs splayed a shoulders width apart, and his back ramrod straight. He cleared his throat slightly, and averted his gaze as best he could. She was most def. not making things easy for him.

Bulma quickly untangled the tiny straps of her tank top, and donned it along with her hoodie before slipping into her sweats and socks. She then picked up a hair tie from the floor, and fixed her hair in a very messy bun on top of her head. She turned toward her companion, and couldn't help but notice how large he really was compared to her. He may not have been very tall, maybe three or four inches taller than her slight 5'3" height, but he was extremely well built, and he was currently filling her doorway. Sometimes she envied the Saiyans and their high metabolism and naturally muscular build. She had to nearly kill herself to keep her body as fit as it was.

Vegeta watched as the woman turned around, thankfully fully clothed. However, he couldn't help the smirk that spread across his face at the way she was looking at him. Apparently she liked what she saw, and he subconsciously flexed his muscles in response, squaring his stance.

Bulma hadn't missed the way his muscles seemed to ripple under his skin nor the slight smirk on his face. His tail had unwound from his waist to sway lazily behind him, and she fought hard to raise her eyes to meet his instead of allowing them to go lower. Oh he was messing with her, and she was not in the mood at all.

"Alright, come on fuzz butt. I know your food still needs heating up, but it can still go bad if it sits out too long." Bulma offered as she straightened out her hoody, and purposefully marched toward the door, ignoring the way his tail lashed around in a playful manner behind him.

"Vegeta!" Bulma yelped in both shock and admonition as his arm shot out, and blocked her exit from her room, his hand cracking her doorframe.

Vegeta stared down at her, and he couldn't help the wolfish grin that drew his lips from his teeth, exposing his extremely sharp canines as he leaned in closer to her.

"See something you like woman?" He rumbled as his nose twitched slightly, scenting her. He'd noticed her staring, and wanted nothing more than to get a rise out of her. He'd not seen her usual spark all day, and for some reason wanted, no, needed a light bit of banter. Her gloomy mood was stifling.

Bulma cast him a cheeky smirk of her own, which caused his to falter slightly before taking a step back to get a better look at him. She cocked her head to the side, and pursed her lips in an appraising manner while cupping her chin between her thumb and forefinger before letting her eyes sweep his entire frame. Two could play that game, and she was suddenly in the mood.

Vegeta's smirk faded entirely, and he frowned. He lowered his arms to hang at his sides, and he found himself swelling up to his full height out of defense. He'd not intended for her to actually appraise his appearance, and was slightly put off by it. He didn't want to know exactly how disgusted she was by him, his ego had taken enough of a blow for the time being. He didn't normally care about his appearance, but when it came to this particular female, he wasn't quite sure why he found himself wishing to impress her. He'd nearly choked down a hairball earlier while grooming his tail just so it would look soft and fluffy for her. It irritated him to no end how absurd he was being. She was just an Earthling female, a human after all.

Bulma saw that flash of indignation in his eyes as he squared his stance, and apparently readied himself for some sort of snide comment. She had initially planned on taking him down a peg or two for catching her staring, but as she looked at him she realized almost too late that he was either trying to bait her into an argument or actually trying to flirt with her. She rolled her eyes at him, noting how he stiffened even further, and his jaw clenched. Oh she had him, but she wasn't in the mood for a fight. She'd let him be since he'd taken up for her, that would be her way of thanking him. Throw the man a bone, and see if he'd bite the hand.

Vegeta watched as the female took a few steps closer to him, putting mere inches between them. He looked down at her expectantly, not intending to let this little moment turn sour against him.

"Ya know, I'm not gonna lie to ya fuzz butt. I do!" She said as she ran her finger across his left peck, trailing over his kill wound delicately. She didn't know what that scar was from, or any of the other numerous scars that marred his tanned flesh, but she had a sort of fascination with it.

Vegeta shivered under her touch, and was surprised to hear those words coming from her mouth. He blinked his eyes a few times, and quirked an eyebrow at her. He had a hard time believing that she wasn't messing with him somehow. He growled at her before letting out an irritated hump, his way of dismissing her words. Her mood had changed, but he suddenly had a sour taste in his mouth.

Bulma just snorted and rolled her eyes at his reaction. "Right, as if you don't already know you're attractive. Honestly Vegeta, I'm not going to stand here and stroke your ego. Your head's already big enough as it is!" Bulma mused as she smacked his abs with the back of her hand, earning a subtle jerk and a warning growl from him.

"Alright, you and your eight pack abs can follow me. I'm sure you're starving by now." Bulma said, wishing that she could somehow convince him to put a shirt on. Sometime during their day together he'd discarded it on the living room couch, and she couldn't help but feel a stirring in her stomach. He was the perfect specimen of all that was man, and she was most definitely not blind.

Vegeta watched as she moved to exit her room. He frowned in confusion, but he allowed his tail to snake around her wrist none the less as she bid him follow. His confusion only intensified as he noticed the two large, black, hand prints on her ass, and couldn't help but look down at her tiny hands. Those prints most definitely were not from her. He shook his head, he really didn't want to know how those hand prints got there, and he wasn't about to inquire about them either.

On their path to the kitchen Vegeta let out a growl of annoyance as he nearly ran into Bulma's back when she abruptly stopped. He was about to make his protest known when she suddenly turned toward his room, and led him in.

"Hey, before we go down, you may want to clean up too." Bulma said as she leaned against the door jam, and waggled her eyes at him.

Vegeta blushed a bright shade of crimson, and glared at her. However, he could still smell the weaklings blood all over him, and wasn't about to protest. He silently crossed the room, and entered his bathroom, snagged a wash rag, cleaned the blood off, and re-emerged a few minutes later squeaky clean.

Bulma smirked at him, cleared her throat, and pointed to his temple where he'd missed a small streak of the now pale pink blood. Vegeta quirked an eyebrow at her before swiping at the side of his head with his fingers, coming up clean.

"Nope, didn't get it, here." Bulma said as she entered his room, retrieved the discarded cloth, and wiped the blood from his face. She smiled at him before tossing the rag into his hamper, and trotting out the door toward the kitchen, Vegeta hot on her heels.

As the two entered the kitchen again, Vegeta released his tail's hold on her wrist, but didn't sit at the table as he normally did. Instead he watched as she returned to preparing his meal, leaning his back against the counter beside her, still staring at the odd hand prints.

Bulma noticed where he was staring, and chuckled to herself. "So, you like what you see?" She teased as she cast him a coy look over her shoulder.

Vegeta stiffened, and frowned. "Not hardly." He growled. He wasn't about to admit he found her stunningly attractive, despite her admission, he had his pride. It would take a lot more for him to verbally confirm anything.

Bulma frowned at his statement. She should have known he would say something like that, but it still hurt slightly. She didn't let it show as she placed the plate of food in the oven. Everyone was entitled to their own opinion, even if that opinion wasn't exactly what you wanted to hear.

Vegeta's face scrunched again before he schooled his expression. The female was being unusually quiet. He was enjoying the silence, but the fact that this female didn't know the meaning of the word, he was unnerved. He was tempted to speak to her again, but without anything meaningful to say, he simply huffed, and continued to watch her work as she prepped each dish, and shoved it into the already pre-heated oven.

Bulma thought back to how her pants became so trashed. She should have thrown them away, but the comfort they brought her, and the memories made that impossible. She smiled to herself as she remembered. She had agreed to watch one of her relative's kids for the weekend, and she had agreed to let the kid finger paint. She still couldn't remember what sparked it, but somehow they got into a paint fight. Chi Chi and Goku had stopped by on their way into town, and got sucked into the mayhem. Poor Chi Chi's dress was ruined, and everyone was covered from head to toe in paint. Before they left, Goku slapped some black paint on her ass thinking it was funny." Bulma chuckled remembering that day. Her creativity room was still covered in splatter paint, and she never intended to change a thing. Call her nostalgic, but she loved that room, it reminded her of a time when things were simple, when the world wasn't in danger, and she wasn't in danger of losing everyone she held dear to the next big threat. She just hoped that in this timeline, they would be better prepared. She hoped that she wouldn't lose any of her friends again.

"Apparently you're not nearly as big of a pussy as I'd originally thought. No wonder those pitiful earthling warrior friends of yours allow you to cow them the way you do." He mused as he remembered her wailing at the bald headed monk and Kakkarot's whelp upon their initial return to Earth.

" So tell me, when were you going to fill me in?" Vegeta growled from his position beside her, a sudden thought entering his mind, and making him frown in irritation.

Bulma's head snapped up, and she looked at him in confusion. What was he talking about?

"Huh?" She asked dumbly as she tried to think of what he was referring to. She completely ignored his insult, trying to understand his true meaning.

"Sigh, don't think me a fool little one. I saw the weakling, and I saw how easily you rounded on him. That was an almost instinctual defensive reflex that's not typical of you humans. I've also toyed around with your father. With the training he put you through, and your little display earlier, I highly doubt a weak human could get the drop on you so easily." Vegeta growled out as his eyes rose to bore holes at her.

Bulma's wide blue eyes gave her away, and she gulped as she looked back at the dish she was preparing.

"Ya know what? It really doesn't matter. I'd appreciate it if we could drop it. Besides, I quit fighting a long time ago because I realized that the business needed me more than the guys did." Bulma said a bit more harshly than she would have liked, bitterness lacing her last few words. Sure, she didn't tell him the truth about how she'd gotten hurt, but she figured that it would only make him laugh at her or go ape shit on Goku for some reason.

"Be that as it may, I still don't appreciate the deception female." Vegeta said as he took hold of her left forearm, and pulled her away from the food, and placed her directly in front of him. Something about those injuries resonated in his head. He just had to know what happened to her.

Bulma didn't know what to say. She knew he deserved to know the truth, but she dreaded his reaction.

"For the record I didn't lie to you, I merely bent the truth." She mumbled, heaving a great sigh of resignation as she side stepped him, turned around, and hopped up to sit on the counter next to him.

"No, woman, that would still be a lie. Any omission of facts that would lead someone to the conclusion you wish constitutes a lie. I don't appreciate being deceived. I want to know how you obtained those scars." Vegeta repeated as he glared at her, waiting for an explanation. His tail swishing against her knee.

"Ah, ok. Goku did it. It was an accident, and really it was my fault. So, go ahead and laugh at my weakness." Bulma said as she stared across the room at the wall. She said nothing more as she waited for his initial response. She figured it would save her some time if she let him get out whatever he had to say before trying to explain the situation to him.

Vegeta stood silently beside the female for what felt like ages, rage building up inside at the thought. However, he knew damn good and well how uncontrollable Kakkarot could be, and without proper training and knowledge of how to fully control his primal mind, the third class clown could be a force to be reckoned with if left unchecked.

"How." Vegeta ground out. That was the only question he had to ask.

"It happened when we were kids. After all the bull shit with the dragonballs was over, Goku came to live with us. I started to notice a change in his behavior, his attitude, and sometimes he was a bit on the cranky side. We finally found out that he didn't even know he'd been the one responsible for his own grandpa's death, and I thought maybe that knowledge had something to do with it. He transformed once when we were fighting emperor pilaf, and he nearly took me out. His tail was cut, and we thought things were over so his odd behavior didn't worry me too much. Unfortunately hind sight is 20/20, and I ignored the now obvious signs. One night he came into my room, crawled into bed with me, and complained of a headache and an upset stomach. It kinda freaked me out because he'd never been sick before that I could think of, and I honestly didn't know what to think. I gave him some meds and let him sleep in my room that night so I could watch him, but a few hours later after I'd fallen asleep, I heard him go outside. I followed him, and it was like he was in a trance. He was staring at the moon, but without his tail he didn't have the ability to transform, well, completely. I called out to him, and when he didn't respond, I tapped him. Not the brightest idea I've ever had…"

"Certainly not. I'm surprised he didn't kill you. An untrained Saiyan during a full moon is like what you humans call a rabid dog. They know nothing but the rage. They have one primal instinct, to kill. Without his tail, he may not have been able to transform physically, but mentally, our instincts still rage. Whether it be the rage to kill as a juvenile or a different rage as an adolescent and adult, Saiyan males who are sent off planet without training like Kakkarot was are only meant to do one thing." Vegeta explained as he shot her a feral look.

"What's that?" Bulma asked, afraid of the answer.

"Destroy anything and anyone that gets in their way, and if need be, die while doing it." He mused as he thought back, trying to remember his home world, and failing.

Bulma swallowed the large lump in her throat as she glanced down at his tail. She knew from his battle with Goku that he was fully capable of controlling himself, but she wondered if he ever felt the desire to just let it all go as well. She didn't doubt that seeing as how he was capable of losing control in his normal form.

"Hm, too bad I hadn't met you sooner. I may have been able to avoid all this. Anyway, I made the worst mistake ever, I turned my back on him to run, and I can safely assume you know what happened next. He would have killed me if my father hadn't knocked him out with a nice blow to the back of the head. Sometimes I wonder if those two hard hits to the head may have knocked a few screws loose." Bulma chuckled as she knocked her own head for emphasis.

Vegeta smirked at her display, but that smirk quickly faded to a frown. If Kakkarot had hurt her before, it would explain his behavior toward her now. It would also explain some of the other things that had left questions stirring in his mind. Regardless, he didn't see the point in her lying to him.

"You were right about one thing, running was a huge mistake. Saiyan males have a very strong chase instinct. Those games you play in the woods aren't necessarily safe to play with Kakkarot, and will become increasingly dangerous to play as his whelp gets older. If you remember anything I tell you, remember this. Never run from a male Saiyan unless you want to get caught." Vegeta explained as his tail swished between them.

Bulma noticed the way his eyes were going distant, and how he tongued his canines as his gaze bore into hers. There was something more to what he was telling her, and she wasn't sure whether he was omitting those things or just trying to remember.

"Why would anyone want to get caught?" Bulma asked quietly; almost afraid of the answer. The way he said it made her think being caught was a bad thing.

Vegeta smirked and offered a short bark of a laugh as he shook his head. Oh, this female was treading on dangerous territory. He leaned in close, his breath tickling her ear.

"It all has to do with Saiyan mating rituals." He whispered, fangs visible as he cast her a devilish grin, his eyes flashing dangerously at her causing the color to drain from the female's face.

Author's Note: Uh oh, I guess if Bulma can't stand the heat she needs to get out of the kitchen…lol. I think its funny how certain reviewers liked to spoil a few things from the story, but eh, it happens…lol. I'm hoping to update on a fairly consistent basis, but please bear with me. Things are not good right now.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Not Quite What I'd Expected!

Author's Note: I am busy… nuff said. Starting and maintaining my own business. Meeting customer demands, dealing with my own failing health, my mother's, my grandfather's, and now a dear friend of mine has left me drained. I'm cranking out this chapter in hopes that you all don't kill me. For all my loyal readers who have encouraged me with your reviews, I thank you. This story will be continued and finished for you. Please don't kill me if this chapter doesn't flow as well…writer's block and a long hiatus from the story has me in a bit of a kerfuffle…lol.

The tension was hanging thick in the air between them. The statement was laced with a hidden meaning that was lost on Bulma. She forced herself to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat as she attempted to decipher the look on his face. However, he was the master of control, and the way he schooled his features against her hard gaze gave nothing away of what he was feeling.

"Vegeta? I'm not following." She finally said as she turned her eyes away from his, suddenly unable to meet his fierce gaze. There was something there, it was fleeting, but she saw it. She'd not been able to process it, but her instincts were, and they were on high alert.

Vegeta's eyes flashed, and he bared his teeth at her. "I mean woman, that to a Saiyan male, one that is unmated, a female who runs is an open invitation." He growled as he took a step closer toward her; effectively pinning her between his chest and the counter. He wasn't happy to have divulged that piece of information to the little female, but he couldn't stop the words once they started spilling out of his mouth.

'God damn it!' He thought as he stared down at her. What the hell was going on? How was it that she was able to do this to him? Every time he had his own agenda, every time he thought he was going to say his piece and be done with it, she had to ruin it and somehow sink her claws in and make him spill his guts.

Bulma gasped in surprise at his sudden movement, and her wide blue eyes shot up to his. She clenched her jaw as a sudden wave of excitement settled in her stomach. There was something about the way he was acting that resonated deep within her; though that feeling was quickly pushed aside when she felt a tinge of fear whisper up her spine. He looked like he wanted to eat her.

Vegeta's nostrils flared as he scented the woman standing in front of him, and he barely suppressed a groan when it hit him like a ton of bricks. He'd entered his second thrashing just a few days ago, and the tension he'd been fighting against had been magnified ten-fold. What he wasn't prepared for was the woman being in season. Unlike Saiyan females who only went into season three months a year, human females were in season indefinitely; another reason why humans were intolerable, and another reason why he felt like putting his head through a wall.

'Well, damn it all to hell. This is going downhill fast.' He thought as he tried to fight the urges that had suddenly made themselves know. He'd been able to fight them in the past, hell, he'd been able to lock himself away or maroon himself on another planet during his thrashing, but this time; he knew somehow it wasn't going to end well.

"Woman, for once in your life will you just shut up and forget what I said?" Vegeta growled as he turned away from her and stalked across the kitchen toward the cupboard where the coffee mugs were.

Bulma rolled her eyes at the frustrating male in front of her. It wasn't like she hadn't learned her lesson the first time with Goku. However, her irritation blinded her to the inner struggle that was going on with the man standing in front of her. She watched as he set two mugs down on the counter before looking at her out of the corner of his good eye; hinting to her to grab the coffee beans.

"Vegeta, I appreciate your concern, but I don't think there's going to be any issues. They're my friends." Bulma said absentmindedly as she rolled her eyes. She turned around to grab the coffee beans off the counter behind her and walked them across the kitchen. She moved to lean against the counter next to Vegeta as she rolled the canister toward him with an agitated look on her face. She puffed her bangs out of her eyes before crossing her arms over her chest once Vegeta snatched the beans from her hand. He'd developed an obsession for coffee after she'd made him a cup. She'd warned him that it would be strong, but she was amazed that it actually affected him. After watching him nearly burn her house to the ground in a coffee induced nervous frenzy that day; he'd learned to limit himself. A jazzy, coffee hopped Vegeta was a scary Vegeta. Hell, maybe she should just give him about four double shot espressos before fighting the androids. They'd be sure to win.

Vegeta cast her an unamused and slightly curious look as he watched her chuckle behind her hand.

"Care to share what you find so amusing woman?" Vegeta grumbled as he closed the lid to the pot and pressed the start button, and turned around to lean against the counter beside her.

She shook her head as she removed her hand and quirked an eyebrow at him in amusement.

"I was just thinking about when you had too much coffee. Hey, maybe we should hot ya on coffee and turn ya loose on those Androids. You were running on more juice than the energizer bunny!" She finished on a laugh as she watched Vegeta's cheeks flush in embarrassment; his tail fuzzing and swishing between them in angst.

Vegeta's lip twitched in amusement. He had to admit that after everything was said and done he was able to look back and laugh at himself. It was probably the first time in his life. He couldn't help the chuckle that escaped as he shook his head and nudged her with his shoulder.

"It's not my fault caffeine affects my metabolism that way. Besides, you're one to talk woman. Aren't humans not supposed to drink this before bed?" He attempted to defend himself.

"Hump, it isn't my fault you were into everything in my lab, and regressed to a child's 3 year old mentality. "What's this, and can I BURN IT?" remember that?" Bulma laughed as she nudged him back.

"When it got quiet with you in the room… I knew there was a problem. Especially when I turned around to see my industrial trashcan sporting a three foot flame! You're worse than any pyro." Bulma continued to joke as she pictured Vegeta in a few other situations he'd managed to narrowly escape from that day.

"Hell woman, just drop it." He growled as he glared at her out of the corner of his eye. His amusement was starting to wane, and he wasn't in the mood to fight with the woman, especially when she was now in a decent mood; albeit an annoying one.

"Vegeta, don't take this the wrong way, but you've been acting a little out of sorts lately. I can't put my finger on it, but there's something off. What's up?" Bulma asked suddenly as if their previous conversation had never really happened. She knew it was underhanded, but she had a feeling something was wrong, and she figured it was as good a time as any to get her answers. She'd poked around to see where his patience was, and after finding him in quite an amicable mood; decided to go for the jugular of the issue.

"Grrrrr, for all your intellect you're extremely dense. Have you forgotten what I am, woman?" Vegeta's growl and his hot breath fanned against her ear, causing a shiver to race down her spine immediately followed by a trail of goose bumps.

"Sigh, no Vegeta, I haven't forgotten. It's just that you've been blowing hot and cold a lot lately. You seem a lot more, well, irritable; even for you." She said as she gestured toward the coffee pot when the drip stopped; indicating their beverage was ready for consumption.

Vegeta glared at her for a few seconds before turning to pour two cups of coffee. He sighed as he passed one to her, and settled back against the counter. He took a swig of the hot liquid, relishing in the burn as it went down. He lowered the mug, and stared at the floor for a second as he contemplated his current situation. It was imperative to word his answer carefully so as to keep from terrifying her. The last thing he needed was for her to lock him in his room or the GR for the next week or two.

"Saiyans go through two "growing stages" in their lives called thrashing. We go through our first thrashing when we reach an age where we are capable of transforming into our Oozaru form. Our second stage is when we hit our final growth spurt. It isn't uncommon for our hormones to be off during this time, but it shouldn't be an issue here." He lied as he schooled his features. He wasn't about to tell her that his final thrashing really had to do with his kind reaching their sexual maturity and their mating instincts would kick in. Up until their second thrashing, Saiyans were able to function normally, but during and to an extent after they hit that second stage, they would feel an overwhelming desire to seek out their life mate. That didn't mean they would become randy hormone driven freaks looking to have sex with anything that moved. It simply meant that their priorities and desires changed. He wasn't quite ready for that mentally, but his body apparently hadn't gotten the memo. He'd never considered the idea of settling down with a life mate, hell, he'd never even thought of the possibility of there being another sentient race compatible with his own to make that even possible. That right there was the source of his angst. He thought his second thrashing would pass by without incident. Now, however, his attraction to the little female leaning next to him was going to be a problem. He wanted to keep her safe from himself, he wanted her to be happy, and he didn't like the fact that he seemed to cause her distress more often than anything else. Ultimately, he thought she'd be better off and happier without him around, but now that his hormones were chiming in, his thoughts were getting muddled, and he was starting to consider the idea. After all, she was no longer attached to the weakling he'd effectively removed from his territory.

Bulma's eyes widened momentarily before a heated blush rose to her cheeks as it finally dawned on her, and she suddenly felt more embarrassed and stupid than ever as all the implications finally fell into place. It was a bit of a stretch, and she had a feeling he wasn't telling her everything, but she was pretty sure that this was on par with a teenager reaching their sexual maturity. She was well aware that Saiyans had a longer lifespan than humans, and it would only be logical for them to reach their sexual maturity later in life. She wasn't exactly thrilled about having a hormonal Saiyan on her hands, in fact it was extremely scary, but it wasn't like she hadn't been dealing with men all her life. For some reason she found it easier to deal with men than women. It was one of the many reasons why she really didn't have very many female friends. Chi Chi had the same mentality she did when it came to that sort of thing, and that was the only reason they could get along… for the most part. They had their fights, but it wasn't the knock down drag out fights she'd had with girls when she'd been in school and college. She figured that it shouldn't be that difficult handling Vegeta. Chi Chi had mentioned something about Goku acting different a few years ago when she'd asked her to "watch" Gohan for a few weeks. The kid was a blast to have around, and was extremely interested in the work she did down in her labs. They had a blast while he was staying with her, but now that she thought about it; she wished she'd been a little more inquisitive about her friend's apparent "odd behavior" since it might have shed some light on the situation she was going to find herself in.

"Well, let's just get one thing straight. Whenever you get an urge to do something you're not sure is ok… just don't." She chuckled as she tapped his chest.

"That will keep you out of trouble for the most part. Though, it might be easier to ask me. That'd save you the time and grief of having to really think about it." She laughed as she watched him roll his eyes and take another swig of his coffee.

"I doubt it will be that difficult to figure out what pisses you off and what doesn't." Vegeta smirked at her from behind his mug.

Bulma rolled her eyes and feigned anger at his comment. "Hey! You better watch what you say fuzz butt. You never know what might set me off." She purred as she batted her eyes at him playfully.

Vegeta growled at her and snapped his teeth in her face, causing her to pull back as she was drinking from her mug with a sound that sounded like "hey". He chuckled before bringing his tail up to wave in front of her face.

Bulma gently batted it out of her face, but he only moved it closer to where it tickled her nose. She spluttered against his fur and puffed at it with her mouth before snapping her teeth at it in jest, but when he didn't pull his tail back far enough because he was drinking from his mug; she actually chomped down on the fuzzy appendage.

Vegeta spewed his coffee all over the kitchen floor before letting out a startled yelp of pain. He swiftly pulled his tail up and popped the assaulted tip into his mouth where he attempted to soothe it with his tongue. He then turned to her with a look that said "I can't believe you bit me!" and watched as she spit and swiped at her tongue; trying to get the stray hairs out of her mouth.

"Oh Vegeta I'm soo sorry! I really didn't mean to actually bite you! I thought you'd move! How bad is it, let me see." Bulma rushed. Her eyes were wide with concern and panic as she set her mug down and attempted to get him to remove his tail from his mouth so she could see the damage.

"Woban, I'b ine." Vegeta growled around his tail before pulling the appendage out so he could survey the damage himself.

Bulma looked on from her spot next to him as he parted the fur and groomed the tip of his tail. She was glad that she hadn't broken the skin or made him bleed. He wasn't mad at her so she assumed she hadn't really done that much damage. Little did she know that his inspection wasn't intended to check the status of his tail; it was to keep his hands occupied so he wouldn't grab her.

Once he was satisfied that there was no damage to his tail he flared his ki and dried the fur before wrapping it tightly around his waist.

"Don't ever do that again, woman. I've bitten myself worse, but that is different." Vegeta growled in admonition as he snarled at her. His tail was extra sensitive during his thrashing. Her bite wasn't painful, but the fact that she actually bit him had startled him. That was something a mate or an interested female would do; a sort of "love bite" by her standards. His cheeks blushed a bright shade of red, but thankfully it was hidden behind his coffee mug. This wasn't going to go as smoothly as he'd originally planned. He was inexplicably drawn to the little female, and he had absolutely no idea how to stop it.

Bulma didn't miss the blush that spread across his cheeks, but made no remark as she nudged him with her shoulder, once again almost making him wear his drink.

"Quit." He said in a deadly serious tone, causing her to straighten up, clear her throat, and look out the kitchen window.

A long moment of silence stretched between the two, and after a few minutes passed, Vegeta allowed his tail to wrap around Bulma's waist as his mind drifted further and further away. Bulma's attention was drawn his way when he turned slightly to grab the coffee pot to pour himself another cup. She silently held hers out, and he topped her off before returning the pot to its burner.

"So, wanna watch a movie? Tomorrow you can get back to training." Bulma suggested as she turned to look at the now brooding male standing next to her. Her only indication he heard her was the slight furrowing of his brow and the twitch of his ear. She wanted to say something to him, but the look on his face stalled her. He looked as if he was remembering something, whether that be a good something or a bad something had yet to be determined, but she wasn't foolish enough to not see the angst he was in. So, she stayed by his side, silently sipping her coffee as she waited for a response.

'This woman has no idea what she's getting herself into. Hell, I don't even know what I'm getting myself into. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to have her lock me in the GR for a few weeks. At least that way nothing could go wrong.' Vegeta thought as he'd suddenly felt a surge of testosterone from out of nowhere that made him want to put his fist through a wall or do something he'd rather not think about to the female standing a mere three inches from him. He had no desire to complicate his life with her. Hell, it was already complicated enough as it was. He also didn't want to have to worry about her crazy father trying to castrate him in his sleep.

"Fine woman, but nothing like that last shit you pulled out." Vegeta growled as he downed the last of his coffee and set his mug in the sink.

Bulma chuckled and held her fingers up. "Scouts honor. No more Pride and Prejudice!"

Vegeta merely rolled his eyes at her antics, and used his tail to catapult her from the kitchen and into the living room.

"Well, get to it then." He chuckled as he released her from his tail, causing her to do a dainty twirl.

Bulma finished her twirl with a dramatic bow, before marching back toward the kitchen. She was about to pass by him when his arm shot out; blocking her path.

"Where are you going, are you lost little girl?" Vegeta huffed as he scented her.

A tiny trail of goose bumps rand down her spine, and she shivered at the sensation.

"What's a movie without popcorn, snacks, and drinks? Come on, you should be a pro at this by now?" Bulma said as she rolled her eyes in his direction before taking his forearm that was blocking her path between her forefinger and thumb. She lifted it effortlessly from her path, and strode into the kitchen with her head held high; casting him a playful look over her shoulder as she went.

Vegeta's nose flared and his tail twitched in amusement as he watched her sachet across the tiled floor. She was unknowingly giving him quite the show. Her shapely ass swaying with each exaggerated step she took. His eyes followed her every move as she set about her task, and it was then he realized the shit was about to hit the fan.

"Hey Vegeta? Wanna grab the candy?" Bulma asked as she placed the popcorn into the microwave and set the timer.

"WHA?" Bulma squealed when she felt something grab hold of her left ass cheek, squeeze, and release. She whirled around, and glared incredulously at the male whose back was turned to her while gazing at the sugary sweets across the room.

'What the fuck…' Was all she could think as she eyed him warily.

"Ok, that's a little out of line Vegeta." Bulma scolded as she tossed the popcorn wrapper into the trash.

Vegeta merely cast her a lazy smirk over his shoulder. "How is that out of line when you deliberately asked me to grab it?" He snarled at her before raising a suggestive eyebrow.

Bulma's face went beet red, and she sputtered to find a response. He was blatantly flirting with her, and had just admitted to grabbing her ass. She just couldn't begin to fathom what was going on, and what made matters worse was the fact that; he grabbed her ass and she wasn't even mad! She stared at him in utter shock before squeaking out her reply.

"Food… not… my…my…ASS!" She squealed as she reached back to cover her ass as if that would protect it.

Seeing how flustered and heated she'd become over the slight; Vegeta chuckled under his breath. He shook his head and cast her a sarcastic and playful look as his tail swished through the air; showcasing his amusement. He looked like a naughty little boy who'd gotten caught kissing a girl by the teacher.

"You creep. That's not something to be proud of. Perv." She said as she turned back toward the microwave. Every now and again she'd turn around sharp as if expecting him to have snuck up behind her. She wasn't about to let him goose her again and get away with it.

Vegeta cracked his eye toward the woman, and fought back the laugh at just how paranoid she'd become over the last few seconds. He truly meant nothing by his little squeeze, but he couldn't deny that he hadn't liked the feel of her ass in his hand.

'Keep it in your pants man.' Vegeta growled to himself as he tried to calm his body, and clear his racing mind of the dirty thoughts that were threatening to plaster themselves to his mind's eye.

After rifling through the drawer and grabbing a few different sweets; he headed out of the kitchen, and down toward the movie room. The room was just as they had left it after the woman's last party, and he wrinkled his nose as he passed the place where Kakkarot had been lounging. He gave the offending chair a swift kick that sent it sailing to the back of the room before sniffing out the one he and the woman had shared. Once he found it, he drug it toward the front and center before fluffing it and settling himself down in its cushy center.

"Popcorn's ready. What do you want to drink fuzz?" Bulma hollered down to him as she dumped the popcorn into a bowl.

"Don't care." Was his reply as he laid his head back, and began meditating. His hormones were off. He could feel them change as a sudden rush of testosterone rushed through his veins. He had no idea what was going on or why the sudden rush; all he knew was that he needed to be on guard in case he was unable to control the sudden urges that came with it.

"Here ya go. I grabbed ya a Pepsi" Bulma said as she held out the 2 liter toward the man sitting in the beanbag. She tapped it against his knee when he ignored him.

Vegeta jumped, slightly startled by the cold contact of the beverage, but took it from her hand as he tossed her a bag of sour patch kids.

"Ok, I was watching a new movie last night, but was too scared to finish it. Since you're here, that shouldn't be a problem so I'll just start it over from the beginning." She said as she scrounged around for the remote. When she found it she started the movie, and sat down in the same bean bag as Vegeta. She wiggled her way down into the bag before reaching over, grabbing the popcorn to share.

Vegeta glanced at the screen before turning to stare down at the woman as she wiggled closer to his side. He wrapped his tail around her thigh, and settled the bowl on his stomach. He heard before he saw her struggling with the bag of sour patch kids and reached over to snatch them away before opening them. He popped a few into his mouth, and then handed the bag back to her.

"Thanks fuzz." Bulma said as she popped a few candies into her mouth.

The two turned back to the screen, and watched as the opening credits for "Devil" came on.

Vegeta rolled his eyes at her choice of movie, but made no comment as he sat through one of the funniest movies he'd watched to date. He'd never seen anything so cheesy, but apparently the woman was as squeamish as they came. Every time a gory part was near; she would bury her head in his shoulder, and once, flipped the bowl of popcorn upside down; spilling its contents all over the duo. He didn't mind it so much as he did her picking pieces out of his hair.

"Tell me when it's over?" Bulma asked in a nervous tone as she nuzzled into his neck.

Vegeta grit his teeth in angst., but obliged her throughout the movie till the ending credits.

"Woman, the movie is over. You can let go now." Vegeta rumbled down gently to the woman who was tightly wrapped around his frame.

When she made no move to get off he started prying her off; only then did she realize the movie was finished.

"Phew, thanks Vegeta. I wouldn't have gotten through that without ya. I don't normally do scary movies for that reason." Bulma laughed as she pulled away and snagged a gummy worm from another bag.

Vegeta finished off the last of his hot tamales before making a go for her gummy worm bag. He growled at her when she smacked at his hand, and made another attempt. When she swatted at him a second time while shaking a half eaten gummy at him, he smirked back and lunged forward, scaring the tiny woman with his speed.

Bulma went flying off the bean bag with an audible oof before righting herself. She smirked and laughed when she saw Vegeta hanging half off the beanbag; his left arm reached out for her and a feral look in his eye.

"Mine!" She chortled as she held the bag closer to her chest and chewed a gummy.

Vegeta's low rumble of a purr lulled her into a false sense of security, and before she knew it, the bag was no longer in her hands, and half of its contents were being masticated by the large male in front of her.

"Not anymore. You really should learn to retain your possessions before claiming them as something you are entitled to. What if someone comes along and takes them away; what are you going to do then?" Vegeta taunted as he held the bag out of her reach.

Bulma dove toward him, knocking him back on the beanbag as she tried to reach for the bag he was now holding over his head. She stretched across him until they were in a rather awkward position that only Vegeta seemed aware of.

"Woman, get off." He rasped, trying to keep himself in check when her intoxicating scent reached his nose, and her body rubbed against his in a way he'd rather have it not.

Taking advantage of his distraction, she snatched the bag with a triumphant exclamation.

"HA HA! Got em. What were you saying about claiming something?" She taunted as she sat across his waist, dangling the bag over his head tauntingly.

Vegeta suddenly swatted them from her hands, earning him a startled eep, and a glare. He'd had enough of her games, and was ready to go take a nice cold shower. However, fate would have different plans for our dear prince. That sudden rush of testosterone was now raging through his veins, across his subconscious, and clouding his judgment.

Bulma suddenly let out a yelp as she found herself sitting on the floor. Vegeta had knocked her over with his tail, and was in the process of stalking across the room toward her prone form. Seeing his approach, Bulma quickly righted herself, and grabbed a pillow; beaming it at his head.

The pillow burst on contact, sending feathers flying everywhere. Bulma laughed good naturedly at the sight, but when Vegeta didn't share in her amusement, she sobered, and really took a look at his expression. Vegeta was staring at her with that same heated expression from earlier, but it was almost as if he was locked in a trance as she called to him, and he said nothing. However, he kept stalking toward her, and with each step forward he took; she took one back in slight fear.

Still thinking he might be playing Bulma darted around the room, but he blocked her each time. It was then, that she started to realize the gravity of her mistake.

"Hey, take it easy big guy, we're just playing here." She said in a shaky voice as she attempted to back away slowly. She nervously shifted her weight between her feet, and shook her head in warning as he got closer. When he was about three feet away she held out a finger and wagged it at him.

"Oh no, no, no, no, nu, uh, Vegeta. Don't you even think about it. That is as inappropriate as it can get, and I'm not about to play that kind of game with you." She said nervously as she watched him saunter closer to her. The look on his face told her he was intent on doing whatever it was that was running through his mind at the moment, and that caused her to panic slightly.

When he reached the end of her hand, he pressed his chest against her finger, and stopped. He leaned in closer and smirked at her before pressing forward. She had to withdraw her hand in order to keep from breaking her finger. Staring at him nervously she tried to tell him that it wasn't funny anymore, but when he made to trap her against the wall she freaked out. Out of pure fear of what might happen if she stayed still, what she did next changed the nature of their encounter entirely.

She did the one thing he'd warned her never to do. She ran.

Author's Note: Oh ho ho. Our scientific genius isn't using her head. What's going to happen to her once Vegeta catches her? How will she wiggle her way out of that little misunderstanding; will she want to? Find out later!

I do apologize for the shortness of this chapter. I'm still struggling with writer's block, and after a massive panic attack yesterday due to all the recent stress… I felt that where I ended it was good for now. Hopefully I'll have more time to write another chapter and get it out sooner than I did this one, but I'll not make any promises I can't keep. Thank you all for your reviews, and continued support. All your poking and prodding has definitely helped motivate me to get this chapter out. I'm not truly happy with it, but after fussing with it for so long I've just decided to put it out there. My next one will be longer and hopefully more eventful. So, until next time, review, review, review!


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Out of Commission!

Author's Note: Thank you all for your great reviews, well wishes, and support. Since someone was confused as to what was going on with me I'll clarify. My mother is doing much better, and her tests showed negative for the cancer spreading to her lymph nodes. My granddad is undergoing radiation for his colon cancer, and seems to be doing better, but my friend has a brain tumor, and it doesn't look good. Her vision is going, and she's getting sick from treatments. They haven't given her a set amount of time, but she's just not doing well despite her treatments. I'm doing better, cancers have been removed, dodged the treatment bullet, but I've got a few more scars to add to my list, but I'd rather be alive than pretty in that regard; not out of the woods yet though. At least none were on my face. Well, on a happier note. I worked real hard at this chapter, and I hope you all enjoy. Things are going to start getting interesting, and I'm trying to make the chapters a bit longer for your enjoyment. Read and review. I'll update faster if you light a fire under my ass…lol.

Vegeta's eyes glazed over as he watched the woman dart out of the room, and up the stairs. His head rose ever so slightly, and his nostrils flared as he took in her lingering scent. He huffed through his nose, his body tense, and his senses at their peak. He'd told her not to run; he'd warned her hadn't he? He could feel every fiber in his being pulling at him to follow her, but by sheer willpower alone he remained rooted to his spot.

'I'm not going to chase her; Stupid woman.' Vegeta raged in his mind as he ground his teeth in anger. There was a light sheen of sweat beading on his skin, his body was shaking with the effort it took to stay still, and his tail was lashing about in utter abandon; a clear indicator of the war raging within the primal prince's mind.

"WOMAN, GET BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!" Vegeta roared. If the woman came back; he might be able to calm himself. Females never just, came back, they always ran until caught. Maybe if he could convince her to return he'd be able to undo what she'd unintentionally done. Maybe there was some instinctual/hormonal loophole.

Bulma was crouched behind the couch in the living room praying to Kami she wasn't about to be attacked. The minute she heard him rage at her to return her eyes widened.

'Is he insane? There's absolutely no way in hell.' Bulma thought as she peered around the couch.

"NOT ON YOUR LIFE FUZZ BUTT!" Bulma yelled back as she looked around. She quickly crawled to the umbrella stand that was sitting next to the front door, and snagged her softball bat from the corner. She army rolled back to the couch and pressed her back against it while holding the bat ready to swing.

Vegeta ground his teeth so hard he was sure he felt one crack before letting loose a guttural snarl. The woman was testing his patience, and his resolve was waning. At this point he wasn't sure whether he wanted to jump her; or kill her.

"FINE, HAVE IT YOUR WAY!" He roared as he stormed up the stairs at a slow, deliberate, and predatory pace. He was intent on catching that blasted female and teaching her a lesson. She needed to learn the hard way why it wasn't wise to run from him then not come back when he told her to.

Bulma peered over the couch to see where her insane hormonicidal housemate was, and let out a tiny "eep!" when she made eye contact with him as he ascended the top of the stairs.

"Really now woman, is that all the farther you can run?" Vegeta taunted as he reached the other end of the couch. He leaned his thighs against its arm, and let his tail tap against it as he toyed with her. The lack of distance she had crossed was most likely her only saving grace. She hadn't run too far, and his instincts were already starting to lose their grip on his sanity.

"I wasn't running Vegeta. I… I…was putting some distance between us cause you went all ape shit on me!" She argued as she gripped the bat harder. She wasn't afraid to swing if she needed to. He was still giving her that crazy vibe. Hell, even if she made contact it wouldn't even faze him. The man was built like a tank

Vegeta's tongue darted out to swipe across his enlarged canines, and he gripped the side of the couch before swiftly leaping over to her side where he landed in a crouch in front of her.

THWAK!

"WHAT THE FUCK"!

The minute Vegeta had landed in front of her Bulma's survival instincts kicked in, and without even thinking she brought the bat in her hands around full force, and laid it upside his head hard enough to knock him off balance. She stared at him in shock as he sat on his butt, his tail pounding the floor between his legs in anger, and his hands behind him for support. She didn't know how she'd managed to actually hit him. Having such a hard skull she knew that it hadn't really hurt him, but the fact her bat had nearly bent in half from the force of connecting with his head meant she wasn't too sure he wasn't going to be royally pissed once the shock wore off.

Vegeta shook his head violently after the crack of light cleared his mind. He turned his head back to stare at the woman in front of him, and took note of her appearance. She was sitting on her ass, back pressed against the side of the couch, bent bat held tightly in her hands, her eyes wide and wild, and her hair all in her face. He snorted at the irony of the situation, but his anger overrode every other feeling he had at the moment. He suddenly lunged forward with a guttural growl, ripped the bat from her hands, and snarled at her.

Bulma let out a strangled scream of fear when she felt the bat being pried from her grip. She jumped visibly and flinched as she heard it hit the wall, but her fear squelched the sound and it died in her throat when he was suddenly in her face. He was snarling at her, and baring his teeth, and she could see the fire burning in his eyes.

'Oh, he's beyond pissed. He's fucking lost it!' Bulma thought as she began panicking. She was a genius, but there were two things that she knew for sure about herself. One, sometimes her common sense needed a jump start, and two, when she was scared, her brain shut down.

Bulma tried to pull herself together, but her fear had her frozen against the side of the couch. She was shaking, and her breath was coming out in short pants. She closed her eyes and swallowed hard when she felt his angry breath fanning across her face. She wasn't sure what was going to happen, but she knew that she didn't want to see it.

"WHAT THE FUCK DID I TELL YOU WOMAN? ARE YOU FUCKING DEAF, OR JUST PLAIN STUPID! DON'T RUN… YOU FUCKING NEVER RUN!" Vegeta raged, slamming his fist against the floor by her side repeatedly during his rant to emphasize his point.

Bulma screamed and backed further into the couch; pushing it back a bit. He was scaring her to death. She felt like passing out, but was too afraid to give into the darkness. Tears unwillingly wound their way down her face; the sudden onslaught of his wrath too much for her to take after her altercation with Yaumcha earlier. Her ribs were burning from her earlier exertion, and she was pretty sure they'd gotten worse.

"Vegeta, please, please stop. I didn't mean to. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She cried and screamed at his face as her tears left tracks against her cheeks and she kicked out at his chest in a desperate attempt to get him away from her.

Vegeta's face softened as his rage cleared. He saw the tears streaming down her face, felt her foot connect with his chest, and heard the fear and pleading in her wavering voice. Suddenly, he felt something drop in his stomach. He'd let his hormones get the better of him, and the woman was paying for it. He let out a frustrated sigh, and sat back on his ass in front of her. He roughly ran a hand along the nape of his neck then through his hair; messing it up in his angst. He'd come so far with the little female. She'd finally stopped reeking of fear, and all it took was him yelling at her to scare the shit out of her again. He wondered if she was always this damn sensitive or if it was just around him. Either way, he was once again forced into a position he was not at all familiar nor comfortable with.

"Woman, for Kami's sake stop crying. I told you I wasn't going to hurt you didn't I? Does my word mean nothing, or do you just have that little faith in me?" Vegeta rumbled out as he frowned down at her. He knew he was speaking a little too harshly to her, but he was still angry that she'd ignored what he'd told her earlier, and his own angst over her tears. He couldn't understand why they bothered him soo much.

"I said I was sorry. I didn't think you meant it altogether. I mean, what, I'm not allowed to turn my back and leave a room?" Bulma growled as she suddenly felt her own anger rising.

Vegeta clenched his jaw, and ground his teeth as he attempted to remain calm. She was starting to get on his nerves, and her sarcastic misinterpretation of his words was not helping the situation.

Bulma let out a painful sound when Vegeta suddenly grabbed a hold of her left foot which was firmly wedged against his chest, and pulled her so she was lying flat on her back. He crawled over her, and hovered on his hands and knees; lowering his face till it was mere inches from her own. She blinked up at him shyly as she tried her best to keep her mouth shut. It was easy to see his patience was on its last thread, and she didn't want to be the one on the receiving end of his wrath; she'd been witness to the aftermath and wasn't too keen on it.

"I'm sorry, but seriously Vegeta. You can't expect me to just walk on egg shells around you." Bulma groused as she bumped her forehead against his in an attempt to show him that she wasn't really trying to irritate him.

"Woman, it wasn't the running in and of itself that was the problem; it was the context. It's always about the context." He rumbled as he nuzzled the side of her face as an unspoken apology for his rashness, and to help calm himself down. The little female was both the cause of his distress, and at the moment the only thing he could think of to help calm it.

Bulma lay still for a few minutes contemplating his words. She understood his meaning now, and felt utterly and completely foolish for forgetting so quickly. She prayed to Kami that she wouldn't have another lapse in judgment again. Who knew how he would react if she faulted a second time.

"Um, Vegeta, I'd kinda like to get up now." Bulma mumbled as she gently pushed against his bicep to gain his attention.

He stared at her for a moment; his nostrils flaring before letting out a large yawn. His body was using up more of his precious energy by fighting his thrashing than ever before, and the worst part had yet to come. He could feel the aching in his joints, bones, and muscles already, and was certain by morning he was going to be in a world of hurt from the growing pains. His first thrashing had been absolute hell, but he'd had his comrades around to offer him some form of distraction. However, Nappa had told him that he'd never seen a pup suffer so from the thrashing. Initially the larger male had thought him a pussy, but upon further inspection; he'd realized that the rate at which his joints and bones were growing and changing was nearly double the average Saiyan; so he'd kept his comments to himself. Vegeta was aware that he was considered short for a Saiyan male. However, he took solace in the fact that he had gained most if not all his height from his first thrashing. He had a feeling this time around was going to be ten times worse since it was his final growth spurt.

Bulma watched as Vegeta stretched out above her; his tail curing up and slashing out as he finished. His movements seemed jerky, sluggish, and awkward now that she was actually paying attention to him, and she didn't think she was hearing things when some sickening pops and cracks followed his movements. He had a thin layer of sweat covering his entire body, and it looked like he was suffering slightly from the shakes.

"Vegeta, are you alright?" Bulma asked; her voice laced with concern. Her fear was completely gone, and had been replaced by a sense of foreboding. She had an almost sixth sense for that sort of thing, and she just couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something else was wrong with the surly male.

Vegeta sat back on his haunches; allowing her a bit more room. He studied her countenance for a few seconds as he debated on whether or not to get her involved. He growled low, and cursed under his breath. He wasn't about to admit to his weakness, and the fact that he really did need assistance. During his thrashing he'd be completely vulnerable to attack after he started the physical changes. His hormones were already starting to change, indicating that his body was preparing to make him its bitch. It was only a matter of time before he was reduced to a sniveling pup of a Saiyan.

'Shit, should I stay here and subject myself to the humiliation, or should I risk exposure on my own?' He thought as he ground his teeth in agitation. He'd already succeeded in humiliating himself enough as it was. He didn't need to add his thrashing to the ever growing list.

Saiyans relied heavily on their pack mates during their thrashing. The older generation, and those pups too young to thrash kept watch, and fought off aggressors during their time of weakness; in turn they protected the next generation and the elders from the same fate. He was without a pack, and wasn't too keen on relying on the female and her sire/dam to provide him with that protection. Hell, for all he knew Kakkarot would rise up and smite him from the face of the miserable planet in retaliation for what he'd done. It was clear that the younger Saiyan, as ignorant as he was, was still a Saiyan. Saiyan males who were not pack mates tended to attack one another if left vulnerable during their thrashings to kill off rivals. Vegeta could only hope that with Kakkarot being mated; that instinct would be squelched. He didn't stand a chance as is; let alone during his thrashing.

"Vegeta, seriously, what is going on? You're not telling me something. I can see it in your eyes; now tell me before I beat it out of you." Bulma said as her courage suddenly returned, and she pounced forward at him.

The suddenness of her mood swing, her pouncing on him, coupled with his distracted mind allowed the tiny female to topple him completely, and reverse their positions from earlier. He stared up at her in a mixture of angst. And surprise as she straddled his waist, and proceeded to bounce on his stomach.

"Whoman, Ghet, Ohff." Vegeta huffed as each time she bounced down on his torso; the breath was forced from his lungs. He was beginning to get irritated with her, and unbeknownst to the tiny woman atop him; her ministrations not only aroused him, but pained him as well. His joints were really starting to kill him.

"If you get off I'll tell you, you insane little wench." He grated as he gently wrapped his tail around her waist, and drug her off his lap to sit on the floor once again.

Bulma stared up at her housemate in confusion. She'd been playing with him before, and that usually got his mind out of its dark place, but as she stared into his troubled eyes; she could see that it hadn't worked this time.

"Vegeta?" She asked hesitantly before inching herself closer to him. Once she was right in front of his seated form she crossed her legs as he had, and her knees touched his on either side while she leaned forward as if to receive a secret.

Vegeta couldn't help but perk up at her antics. Despite everything she was too cute for her own good. Despite being extraordinarily beautiful and intelligent, Bulma had another thing that made her unique; she had the knack of reverting back to childish behaviors at certain times. To a human, it would be completely unacceptable, but for a Saiyan, it was more of an endearing and appeasing gesture on her part. A way of saying, she meant no harm, and asking to be cared for. If after a fight, a Saiyan wasn't able to get under their aggressors good graces, they would revert back to some juvenile behavior in order to, hopefully, speak to the aggressor's maternal or paternal instinct to protect the pups of their pack.

"Woman, I'll tell you, but you are NOT allowed to get yourself worked up about it. It is normal, and I'll not have you treating me as if I'm dying." Vegeta ordered as he raised a finger and tapped her on the nose as emphasis to his point.

'Even if it might look like it is.' He thought absently as his mind drifted away.

Bringing himself back to the present with a slight shake of his head, Vegeta braced himself for the lengthy explanation, and even lengthier question and answer session he knew was going to follow.

"I'm entering my second and final thrashing, and along with that come certain physical changes as well. I did not mention those changes because I had initially intended to leave for some place secluded to ride it out, but as it turns out, that may not be my best option.

Bulma stared at him with a puzzled expression.

"Like what kind of changes? You already have the ability to transform, is there another one?" She asked before smacking her palm over her hand for interrupting when she was shot a withering glare.

"Do you want me to tell you, or not?" Vegeta scolded.

Bulma nodded her head slowly, and motioned for him to continue.

"Saiyans go through two thrashings in their lifetime; however, the second thrashing is worse for the males because they will undergo certain physical changes that will assist them in their search for their life mate. Saiyan males are for the most part smaller than females during their entire prepubescent life, and into the initial stages of their adult life. It is only when males reach their "sexual maturity" as you humans call it, that we finish filling out, and growing. A Saiyan will not grow an inch after his second thrashing, and that will be his height till he dies. Yes, the first thrashing is painful because our bodies are acclimating to our shape shifting abilities, but the second thrashing is worse. As a pup, there are no rivals who wish to eradicate you, and you have the full protection of your pack. Pups are also catered to, and assisted during their first transformation. An adult male, still has the protection of his pack, but that doesn't mean those rival males aren't going to be stronger than those protecting the downed adult." He growled out as he repositioned himself, and drew the tiny woman's knees away from his own. They were grinding his sensitive knee caps.

"Female Saiyans go through a similar period of weakness, but that is during their pregnancy and child birthing. They have their mates to watch over them during that period, and require little to no pack protection during that time. It wasn't uncommon for difficulties to kill a downed female and leave her grieving mate in a similar situation. However, a grieving mate will not receive the same protection as the others. He would be seen as weak, and cast aside if he was unable to pull himself together enough to survive. Any Saiyan, male or female, who was mentally and physically able to survive the death of their mate were held in high regard because many times when one half of a mated pair died, the other wouldn't be too far behind. Once mated, Saiyans remain together for life, and even death cannot separate most of them.

"So, you're basically going to be going through a growth spurt with really, really, really bad growing pains?" Bulma asked as she searched his face. She purposefully said nothing about the rest of his explanation; logging it away in her vast memory files for a later conversation. What he was going through at the moment was her top prioritiy.

Vegeta growled to himself as he turned his face away from hers for a moment. "Something like that." He mumbled as he waved a hand at her dismissively.

"It's nothing you need to worry yourself about woman." He grunted as he suddenly lost interest with their conversation, and headed toward the kitchen.

Bulma stared after him for a few seconds as she contemplated following him to demand he explain himself, but she relented. She knew he wasn't telling her everything, and that he'd just basically told her he hadn't planned on it. Her woman's intuition told her something bad was going to happen, and she was intent to listen to it.

'I guess I'll find out sooner or later. I just hope the idiot won't be too stubborn to ask for help this time around' She thought.

The sound of the GR powering on roused her from her musings, and she shrugged her shoulders in resignation as she went about cleaning up the mess from their earlier squirmish. She groaned as she stared at what remained of her bat, and the elongated hole in her wall from when Vegeta threw it. The bat was wrecked, and she couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation, and the fact that she'd actually bent the damned thing over his head.

"I wonder how many frying pans Chi Chi has trashed whacking them over Goku's head?" She mused aloud as she opened the garage door to toss the bat into their large industrial trashcan.

"More than I'm comfortable replacing, Blue bird." An irritated voice said behind her.

"AHHHHHH. Shit Goku, don't do that to me."Bulma screeched as she spun around, hand clutched to her chest. She slammed the garage door closed as she watched her best friend turn toward her fridge.

"Help yourself, Goku. I was just going to put a pot on before headin back down to my lab. What brings you by?" Bulma asked hesitantly; noting the tension in her friend's form. He was irritated about something, and though it wasn't uncommon for him to randomly stop by; he wasn't usually pissed when he did.

"Long story short, Chi Chi is angry with me…what else is new, and Gohan is training with Piccolo. I intended to spend the day with Chi Chi, but she's just being a real bitch right now. I'm just not in the mood to deal with it. Sometimes it really gets to me B. I just don't feel right around her. It's like she has this image of me in her head, and no matter what I do; I can't make her see me for who and what I am. It's driving me insane. I don't want to yell at her, and I don't want to fight, but she's backing me into a corner. I left cause I felt like knocking her through a wall, and we all know that's never a good place to be. I just needed to talk, and you're the only person who doesn't think I'm a complete idiot." Goku heaved as he shut the fridge door a little too hard; rocking it on its legs.

Bulma watched as he turned to lean against the counter, empty handed. The fact he wasn't willing to eat told her he was truly upset. It was times like these that she wished he too had a tail. With Saiyans, she'd found, their tails were really helpful in reading their moods. It helped her know when to tread light. With Goku, however, it was a crap shoot at best.

"Well, what pissed her off this time?" Bulma asked tentatively as she set about making her coffee.

Goku watched her intently, his face set into a deep scowl. The more he thought about it the angrier he got.

"The same bull shit as always. She doesn't want Gohan to train, she wants him to study. She says I don't spend enough time with her, that I don't do things for her, blah, blah, blah. Ya, I know I'm a shitty husband, but it isn't like we lead a normal lifestyle. Hell, I'm an alien for fucks sake, and we have a half alien son. We're constantly fighting to save the world, and I'm supposed to die of a heart condition before I even get one shot at these androids. I've already died trying to save everyone, and Lord knows what everyone would think if they knew about your involvement in saving the world. Hell B., I just wish she'd just back off. I'm sick of not being able to meet her expectations." Goku growled as his hackles rose and he brought his fist down on her counter; cracking the granite. He cursed when he saw the destruction he'd caused and shot her an apologetic look.

"Don't worry about it, Goku. No harm done." She smiled as she waved off his mistake. It wasn't like she'd never broken anything in her anger. It seemed that all her friends had trouble with anger management from time to time so she was used to things getting broken.

"See, that's what I'm talking about. Chi Chi flips when I do shit like that. I don't mean to do it; it just happens." He growled as he tried to fix the cracks by using his ki to melt the granite back into place.

"Wow, that's pretty handy." Bulma chirped when he was done fixing it. She could see the cracks, but it wasn't broken anymore. She liked the character, and wasn't about to replace that section unless it fell apart.

"By the way, B. What happened to your bat, and why were you wondering about Chi Chi's kitchen ware wielding against me anyway?" Goku asked; eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Bulma's face went white for a minute. She wasn't sure she should tell Goku about Vegeta's condition in case he suddenly had the urge to try and off the older male. Goku and Vegeta were rivals at best, and she wasn't sure where the two stood. If Goku saw Vegeta as a rival he may try to harm Vegeta. She swallowed the lump in her throat and went with the half truth for the time being. She was better off playing safe than being sorry.

"Vegeta and I had a little disagreement, and after a while it came down to something about my softball bat, and his head, and my introducing them to each other. He just left to go train in the GR." Bulma said sheepishly as she retrieved the mangled bat for Goku to see.

Goku stared blankly at the twisted piece of metal for a couple seconds before his lip started twitching upward, and a classic Goku laugh soon followed.

"HAHAHA, I would pay to have seen the look on his face when you hit him. God B. I'm surprised he didn't flip out on you." Goku finished now sobered with the thought of what her actions could have wrought forth.

Bulma laughed heartily and gestured toward the living room. Goku stalked across the kitchen, and peered around the corner. His eyes widened at the carnage before pulling his head back around the corner to glare at her disapprovingly.

"Bulma, what did we say about not provoking him." The younger Saiyan scolded as he shook his head at her.

"But…bu…I…I didn't provoke him. He just came after me." Bulma stuttered out before clamping her hand over her mouth. She'd gone and said too much.

Goku's eyes narrowed to tiny slits, and a low growl formed in his throat as he advanced on his friend.

Bulma stared up at him as innocently as she could, but the stone expression on Goku's face told her he wasn't buying it, and she had little time to explain before he tore the older Saiyan a new one.

"Alright, he said something about thrashing, going through a growth spurt, and me being a distraction. Apparently I did something, and he chased me. He got mad, and I hit him with the bat. He threw it, grumbled at me for a bit then stalked off to train. Honestly, nothing happened. I'm fine." Bulma said as she tapped his head to draw his attention back to her instead of glaring at the GR.

" Alright, if you say so B. I didn't feel a fluctuation in his ki so he couldn't have gotten that riled up." Goku relented as he smiled at her again.

BEEP BEEP BEEP

"Oh, coffee is done. You want a cup?" Bulma asked with an amused smirk.

Goku pulled a face as he shook his head. He'd never gotten used to the bitter taste, and she'd never stopped trying to get him to drink it.

"As always, I'll pass. Do you have anything else?" He asked suddenly interested in her fridge.

"I can make some sweet tea if you'd like. There's not much left in the fridge so I'd have to make more for ya." Bulma offered as she sipped her coffee and set the mug down on the counter.

"Sure, if that's alright with you." Goku said lightly.

"Fine with me. Can you get the tea packets up on the top shelf; I can't reach em." Bulma said as she snagged the nearly empty jug from the fridge and poured the contents into a glass. She washed out the jug and set it aside while she turned on the stove and filled the kettle with water.

Goku opened the cabinet and easily snagged his favorite tea and handed it to his friend.

"Yer not shrinking on me are ya B. I could have sworn I've seen you get tea off that shelf dozens of times before." Goku joked as he ribbed her in the side gently.

Bulma nearly doubled over in pain as his elbow made contact with her bruised ribs. She wheezed a couple times, and batted him away as he struggled to figure out what was wrong with her, and what he'd done to cause her pain. He knew it wasn't his fault she was hurting. He'd ribbed her before, and knew she wasn't that fragile. He knew someone with bruised ribs when he was one.

"Bulma, did he hurt you? I swear if he did I'll kill him." Goku raged, his ki skyrocketing with the thought of anyone causing her harm.

Bulma struggled to fill her lungs with air, but her screaming ribs weren't allowing her to take deep enough breaths. In her desperation to still her friend she grabbed his arm and shook her head a negative.

"Then who did this B., and don't you dare try to lie to me." He growled as he helped her lean against the counter. He'd seen her like this before, but he didn't want to think her lacking in common sense enough to go through that same bull shit with Yaumcha again.

Goku watched in barely contained ire as his friend fought to regain her breath. She was just about to explain what had happened earlier when the back door suddenly burst open, and a thoroughly pissed off Vegeta came storming into the kitchen. His tail was fuzzed and lashing about; leaving dents in the wall each time it smacked into one, his hackles were raised, and he was nearly spitting mad. The GR had broken again, and the sudden appearance of the younger Saiyan's ki only seemed to fuel his anger. However, his eyes flashed with concern when he saw the tiny woman doubled over against the counter with her arm around her ribs, and her other hand on the younger male's arm. His anger dissipated, but when his eyes settled on the younger Saiyan he let out a warning growl that Goku didn't receive too well. Goku let out a warning growl of his own, and the two stood locked in a glaring battle that Bulma knew wouldn't end well if she couldn't find her voice enough to stop the fight that was about to take place. Oh how she hated the fact that they couldn't get along; put aside their differences and just work together.

"Guys, please, calm down. Don't fight. Really, it's ok." Bulma whispered as she turned her eyes pleadingly toward Vegeta; knowing he would be the harder one to calm of the two.

Goku's tension ebbed as he watched the myriad of emotions flash across his Prince's face. He relaxed completely when the elder male's tail softened, and his posture relaxed slightly at his friend's request. It never ceased to amaze him how easy it was for Bulma to calm the older male with just her voice. He could tell by the way Vegeta's gaze immediately shifted toward her at her first utterance that it wasn't her words that moved him, but the fact that he held her in such high regard to the point where he allowed her to command that type of attention from him. She hadn't yelled at them, she hadn't even spoken, he doubted if he could even call it a whisper. That was what had amazed him the most. That despite Vegeta's rage; he was still that attuned to her that her barely audible plea didn't fall on deaf ears.

'He didn't hurt her did he? No, there's no way he could have with that kind of reaction.' Goku thought when he could see the concern flash across the elder male's features as his eyes drifted toward the blue haired woman against the counter. He was concerned for her, and Goku wasn't unfamiliar with that emotion. If anything, Vegeta's response calmed his nerves and set him at ease with the older male. He was a man of his word, that much was clear.

"What happened?" Was all Vegeta said as he stalked over to stand on the other side of Bulma, who was leaning heavily against the counter. He wasn't even aware he was doing it when his tail wrapped around her waist, and gently pulled her closer to him than his rival. He didn't want the younger male anywhere near her for some reason; a reason he wasn't willing to admit quite yet.

The move wasn't lost on Goku, and he huffed in indignation at the older male as he shot him an incredulous look. How dare he assume he'd hurt his own best friend. If only he'd been privy to the older male's thoughts; he'd know how wrong he was in his assumptions.

"Goku was joking around, and ribbed me. It hurt, and he jumped to the conclusion that you'd hurt me. I couldn't catch my breath to explain what happened earlier, and he got mad. Guys, please don't do anything crazy. I don't think I can deal with much more of this." Bulma said softly as she lowered her head into her hand.

Goku's gaze softened considerably as he stared down at his broken friend. She hadn't always been this fragile, but as fate would have it, she was now. It was his fault, and by Kami he'd do anything to keep her safe; just as she had him. If there was anything he could do, even if it meant sacrificing his own power for hers; he'd do it in a heartbeat. However, he knew better than anyone that what had happened to her was irreversible. It pained him to see her like this, and to know she once had the power to protect herself and he was bound by the threat of losing her friendship to keep the secret nearly undid him a couple times. That was why he'd not intervened with Yaumcha before. He was worried he'd say too much in his anger.

Vegeta didn't miss the knowing look in the younger Saiyan's eye; nor the distant one. He was privy to information about the female that the Prince was not, and something didn't seem right about it. He wanted to know everything about her, he wanted to be the one who protected her, but his ignorance on the matter seemed to put him at a disadvantage. Something about the way the younger male was staring at the tiny female beside him didn't seem to fit. It was an awe inspired look, as if she'd somehow done something great enough to have Kakkarot following after her like a lap dog. It irked him to no end.

"Yaumcha?" Goku suddenly spat with distain. He decided to change the topic knowing Vegeta was most likely going to pick up on a few things.

Bulma nodded her head in affirmation. "Vegeta helped me. He beat him good." She said finally, unsure at first if she should say anything, but figured it would come out eventually. Yaumcha was a big baby, and would most likely whine about the whole ordeal to the others as a sympathy play. Another reason she'd fallen out of love with him over the years.

Vegeta wasn't at all mad about being outed on his heroics, but he was curious as to how the half baked youngster was able to piece things together so quickly. That's when it dawned on him.

Vegeta growled and stared down at the little female beside him in anger "He's done this before, and he knew about it?" He asked quietly; something that was not normal for the unstable Prince. It was evident by the lack of emotion in his depths that this was the calm before the storm.

"Vegeta…plea…" Her plea was cut off.

"YOU IDIOT! You claim to care for her, to want to protect her, yet you allowed that weakling to toss her around like a rag doll? What the hell kind of double standard is that?" Vegeta raged as he leaned over the little woman to gnash his teeth at his rival; causing the younger male to back off lest he get bitten in the face.

"She didn't want our help. It's called respecting someone's wishes. Do you think I wanted to just sit by and see her go through that, no." Goku defended his honor as best he could, but he knew that it wasn't enough. He knew he should have put her thoughts aside and just stood up for her from the beginning, but he was young and stupid back then. He didn't know what he knew now.

Vegeta could see the remorse shining in the younger man's eyes, and knew that it hadn't been a decision he'd made wisely, and was regretting it to this day. However, that only solidified his position as her protector and pack mate in his head. He just didn't know where he stood with the other Saiyan. Youngster or not, Kakkarot posed a threat to him at the moment. They weren't pack mates, and he was technically a rival. He had no pack to protect him, and as is, a fight or spar against the younger male could prove fatal. He had to tone it down for the time being. He couldn't afford that type of damage.

Goku watched as uncertainty flashed in the older male's eyes quickly followed by agitation, and finally clouded by some unreadable emotion. He couldn't decipher exactly what it was that was going on with the older male that made it so easy for him to read the normally stoic elder, but he was definitely picking up on a disturbance in his ki. Vegeta was in pain. Goku's face contorted into a frown of concentration as he stared at the older male; focusing his attention on his ki signature in hopes that would give him an idea of what was wrong. There was absolutely no reason for him to ask. Vegeta would never tell him anything. Still, he was curious and slightly concerned. As much as he hated to admit it, he admired and even envied the older Saiyan for the knowledge and experience he had. Despite being raised on Earth; he yearned to know about his own race and heritage.

'Idiot.' Vegeta thought as he noticed the way Kakkarot was staring at him. The fool was much more perceptive than he'd given him credit for. He was going to have to keep his guard up around the third class after this. However, he wasn't going to give the clown the satisfaction of knowing he was out of commission for the time being.

'Kami Damn it! Now now!' Vegeta growled to himself as he gnashed his teeth silently. The pain in his joints had intensified tenfold with the short training session he'd done. That had been the worst mistake he'd done, but he was too irritated with the woman to really think about the consequences of his actions. Now, he was reaping them.

Neither occupant of the kitchen were aware of the Saiyan Prince's inner struggle with his thrashing as they continued to converse. Bulma hadn't seen any of her friends in a few months, and after Goku's abrupt appearance with such unsettling news, she wasn't too keen on sending him off just yet. Despite her grief, she still couldn't turn a friend down when in need. Goku might not be the person everyone thought him to be, but that was because he didn't want that responsibility. However, it had backfired on him, and now he was dealing with a wife who treated him like he was no better than a child. She could see him slipping, and was almost thankful that he'd decided to be himself. She'd told him that the others wouldn't think any more or less of him for it, but she couldn't help the smirk that graced her features as she pictured the looks on all their friend's faces when they realized Goku wasn't as dense as he let on.

"Goku, you can stay for a while if you want. Um, I don't know exactly how things are, but you know you're always welcome here. If you feel the need, I can set up a spare room for the night. It wouldn't be a problem." Bulma said as she noticed the tension between the two males mounting once again. She didn't like the way that Goku was staring at Vegeta, and she didn't like the way Vegeta was going on the immediate defensive because of it. He was gritting his teeth, and had the most aggressive look on his face. She'd never seen him look like that, and at the very least wanted to draw the attention from her houseguest.

Goku reluctantly turned his eyes back toward his friend. He definitely didn't want to go home. Hell, he'd felt like up and leaving for days now. It wasn't because he didn't love Chi Chi. He'd always love her, but that didn't mean he liked her all the time. Gohan was extremely perceptive, and had asked about it during their last training session. He'd told his son not to worry, and asked Piccolo to take care of his training for a week so he could try and work on his failing marriage with his wife. However, her attitude towards things had completely shut him down. He really was tired of trying. Bulma had been right, he just needed to lay his cards on the table and set her straight. He didn't like confrontation, especially with Chi Chi, but he was starting to realize how necessary it was. It was for his sanity's sake.

Vegeta watched the emotions play across the younger male's face and was astonished to see the blatant frustration and anger that was clouding his normally smiling face. He was shaking with barely contained anger as his mind retreated inward. As he watched the younger Saiyan nod mechanically at his friend while he thought about things, Vegeta couldn't help but wonder if he'd missed something. The woman was adept at seeing people for what and who they really are, especially him. The way she was behaving around Kakkarot, led him to believe that there was definitely something hiding beneath the surface.

'I wonder if the real Kakkarot is still in there? There's no way he could hit his head and forget everything. He knows what he is. He just doesn't know what to do with it. Maybe…' Vegeta thought as he watched the younger male sniff the woman's coffee mug as she held it out to him, and sneer at it before gently shoving it away. He couldn't help but smirk at the exchange. She was so easy going despite the heavy attitudes surrounding her, and it seemed as though she was able to bring out the best in a man who seemed to be nothing more than good.

"Hey, want a cup fuzz butt? I don't want to down an entire pot by myself, and I still can't get Goku into it." Bulma offered as she pointed at the coffee maker.

Vegeta grunted his affirmative as he made his way toward the pot. He fought against the pain in his knees, and thanked Kami that neither the woman nor Kakkarot seemed to notice when one of his legs buckled under his weight as he walked; throwing him off balance slightly. He caught himself quick enough that it only looked like a slight misstep, but had the younger male seen; he would have caught the mistake.

With a barely concealed grimace of pain, Vegeta reached up into the cupboard, and snagged a mug before pouring himself a cup of the hot drink. He quickly returned to her side against the counter in order to relieve the ache, but found that leaning against the counter only caused the ache in his hips and back to intensify. He'd have to deal with that if he wanted to keep his legs from falling out from under him. The pain he felt there was almost too unbearable; even for him.

"What brings you here Kakkarot, looking for a spar?" Vegeta asked after taking a swig from his mug. He knew the answer to his question already, but he wasn't about to make his curiosity known. For once he wasn't irritated by the younger male's presence. It was an odd sensation as he watched the younger male make small talk and banter with the woman as he raided her fridge. He wasn't threatened by the younger male, and it was confusing the hell out of him why that was. Earlier he'd been wary and even slightly afraid the younger male would try to off him, but for some reason he instinctually knew that wasn't going to be the case.

"Well, no actually. I'm here on a more "social" call. Listen, no offence Vegeta, but I'd rather not talk about it right now. I just came to see an old friend." Goku said as amiably as he could given the circumstances. He didn't mean to offend the older male, but he wasn't used to feeling the way he was, and it had thrown him off his game.

"Hn. Have it your way Kakkarot." Vegeta shrugged. He wasn't one to pry, but without his ability to really do anything else; he was being forced to socialize as a way to. He hated it, more than they knew.

The three slipped into a companionable silence as Goku munched on some cheese and lunchmeat he found in the fridge, and Bulma and Vegeta leaned against the counter sipping their coffee; Vegeta's tail wound tightly around her thigh. He downed the last bit of his coffee before setting it on the counter behind him and leaning his elbows on the counter to try and take the pressure off his lower body.

"AH!" Vegeta suddenly growled out as he doubled over; holding his lower back and hip on his left side. The pain he'd been struggling against had turned into a sudden stabbing pain, and he felt like someone had just broke his pelvis, and shattered his knees. He knew his thrashing was going to hit fast and hard, but he couldn't have predicted this. The pain was quickly moving down his legs, and he could feel the pain starting to creep up his spine. He let out a guttural roar of pain as he dropped to his knees and bashed his head against the floor as a way to try and ground himself against the pain. Fuck worrying if Kakkarot would try and kill him; he wanted to die and end the pain.

Bulma nearly dropped her mug at the sudden yelp of pain, but managed to retain her hold on it long enough to slam it down on the counter before sliding to her knees at his side. Goku hit his head on the fridge, and dropped the armful of food he'd held; the food rolling across the floor in all different directions. Both scrambled to his side as he writhed in agony on the floor.

"Vegeta, what's wrong. Where does it hurt?" Bulma yelled over Vegeta's growling and howls of pain.

"Where doesn't it hurt would be an easier question woman." He bit out as he started gnawing at his arm; drawing blood from it like he'd done when he'd first come to live with the Briefs. He knew it bothered her, but it got him through his last thrashing and he wasn't about to stop for her.

Bulma was quick to react as she pulled his head up, and prevented him from mutilating himself further. However, she wasn't at all ready for his feral reaction. He'd snarled at her with bared teeth before gnashing at her hand; nearly sinking his sharp and elongated canines into her forearm. If she hadn't already been pulling her hand away, he most definitely would have bitten her. She frowned as she watched him writhe in absolute agony. Now she understood why he had been acting the way he had. He knew this was coming, but she wasn't about to let him alone in his misery. No, that's not what friends or pack mates were for. He'd said males relied on their pack mates for protection. He didn't have that luxury since all other Saiyans were gone, but there was one left, and he had her. That had to count for something, it did to her. He'd protected her in many ways, now it was her turn to protect him; even if it was from himself.

"Vegeta, you stop that right now. That isn't going to help." She ordered firmly as she stared at a now silent Goku; pleading for his help.

Goku was staring at Vegeta with an almost calculating gaze. Something inside him was at war. Part of him wanted to help, but part of him, a part buried deep inside was whispering for him to just reach out and snap the older male's neck. His eyes widened as he realized what he was thinking, and he balked. He'd never had a murderous thought in his life. He frowned. Something was off with him, and he had a feeling it all had to do with what was going on with the downed Prince. He growled to himself, and shoved the thoughts to the back of his mind and focused on his little blue haired friend.

"Goku, help me get him to his room, please." Bulma pleaded as she struggled to keep Vegeta from hurting himself and her in his thrashings. He kept trying to throw her off, and claw and bite at his own flesh. It was like he was trying to crawl out of his own skin.

'Now I know why they call it the "thrashing" that's all they do!' Bulma thought in angst, as she reached down and started petting the soft fur on his tail. She wasn't sure why she was doing something he'd expressly told her not to do, but if it would give him any sort of relief from his pain; she'd willingly suffer his wrath in the aftermath of his thrashing.

Vegeta stilled as he felt a tiny, cold hand on his tail. He growled in anger at the initial contact, and reared back to bring down the person attacking him, but as suddenly as it had come, his pain ebbed slightly. Somehow the woman's ministrations on his tail had released some form of an endorphin that was acting as a pain inhibitor to his receptors. The pain was back to a manageable level, but he knew it was only a temporary solution to a long and painful process.

"Get me somewhere safe, woman, and don't let go of my tail." Vegeta ground out around the pain that was still pulsing through his bones. He prayed he had the strength and ability to stand and climb the stairs that led to his sleeping quarters, but he knew there was a slim chance of that being a real possibility. He also knew he was too heavy for her to lift.

Bulma watched as Vegeta struggled against the pain, and staggered to his feet; leaning heavily on her to keep himself stable. His weight was almost too much for her, and before she could be overcome by it she suddenly felt the weight lifting. She looked to her right, and couldn't help the small smile of gratitude that crossed her features as she watched Goku duck under the older Saiyan's right arm, and hoist him to his feet. She was gob smacked when she felt Vegeta's weight removed from her shoulders entirely as the older male placed his entire weight on the younger male; an act of complete desperation.

'His instincts are taking over. He has no other choice but to rely on us to protect him. Regardless of his feelings toward the younger male; he had no other kin or pack. They were his pack, Goku was the only other full blood Saiyan, and Vegeta was calling to Goku through the bond of their common blood. She could tell that Goku wasn't completely at ease with the idea. He looked like he was struggling to do what she'd asked, but it seemed that her request coupled with Vegeta's silent appeal for help had swayed him in his decision against the older male.

"Lead the way." Goku said to Bulma with a firm scowl of determination etched across his features. He felt Vegeta's weight shift completely over to him, and the same inner voice that had called for him to take the older male's life was telling him to help him. His confusion only mounted by the conflicting voices in his head. His only hope was to ignore both, and follow those of his friend until he had the chance to sort things out for himself.

Bulma nodded, and with Vegeta's tail still within her grasp, she strode purposefully toward the stairs. Goku following close behind her with Vegeta nearly collapsed against his side. The older males grit his teeth against the rising level of pain. As she looked back to assess Vegeta's situation, she knew that her solution to the problem was only temporary, and that he'd allowed her to grip his tail just so they could get him somewhere he would be comfortable and safe.

"Lay him down over here Goku!" Bulma ordered as they reached the top of the stairs. She quickly twisted the knob to his bedroom door, and kicked it open as Goku hastily crossed its threshold, and gingerly set Vegeta down next to the bed. Bulma released her hold on his tail, and watched dejectedly as it fell limp.

The two watched as Vegeta snarled against the pain in his joints as he drug himself into his bed. He burrowed under the covers, and curled into the fetal position with his back toward them. Bulma shot her friend a "help me" look as she smacked his shoulder. Goku shrunk away from her with an incredulous look as Bulma grabbed his wrist, and drug him out into the hallway.

"What the hell, Bulma?" Goku grumbled as stared down at his little friend. He had a feeling he knew what she was getting at, and he couldn't help her. He remembered being in a lot of pain, but it was nothing like what Vegeta was going through.

"You've gone through this before. Chi Chi told me you went through something similar a few years ago when she asked me to get stuff for you. Now, what the hell?" Bulma asked before suppressing a cringe when she heard the sheets ripping from out in the hall, and Vegeta's pained yelp.

"Bulma, I wasn't in nearly as much pain as he is right now. Chi Chi just kept me in a really soft dark place, and gave me those serious pain killers and anti-inflammatory medications you gave me to help. It really did, so other than doping him up I really don't know what to do." Goku answered honestly as he scratched the back of his head in angst.

Bulma ran her hands through her hair in agitation. She knew how Vegeta felt about medication, and she was extremely hesitant to take advantage of his situation to pump him full of them; even if they were to help him. She sighed before turning back to her friend.

"Goku, would it be too much to ask you to stay here until Vegeta gets better. I don't know if I'm going to be able to take care of him on my own." Bulma asked as she poked her head in to check on Vegeta, only to see him tearing his pillow apart with his teeth; littering the room and bed with feathers.

Goku sighed, and shook his head. As much as he wanted to get away from his wife, he didn't want to be any part of what was going to happen in the near future. Vegeta wouldn't forgive him for that, and he had more respect for the elder male than to hang around and watch him wallow in misery. He may not like Vegeta, but he had to respect him.

"Sorry Bulma, I can't. You'll be fine. Chi Chi took care of me, and she's fine." Goku said as he motioned toward where his home was.

Bulma rolled her eyes and glared at him accusingly. "Goku, Chi Chi is a whole lot stronger than I am, or have you forgotten that little fact?" She growled as she turned her back on him and marched down toward the medical wing.

Goku lifted his head toward the ceiling, rolled his eyes in exasperation, and growled before following her retreating form.

"Listen Bulma, as much as I don't like him, Vegeta would literally try to rip my face off if he knew I stayed. It isn't because I don't want to help; it's because I respect him enough to go." Goku said as he stalled his friend mid stride with a hand on her shoulder.

Bulma spun slowly to face Goku, a soft smile on her face. She knew there was something there, and was glad that at least he was willing to be honest with her. Just because you didn't like someone didn't mean you couldn't respect them. She nodded her head in understanding.

"Alright, but can I call if I need help? You wouldn't let him bite my face off would ya?" Bulma laughed as she snapped her teeth at him.

Goku laughed good naturedly, and made a smacking motion toward her; careful not to touch her in case he hurt her ribs.

"You know the answer already. I'll see ya later Blue Bird. Don't call though, I won't be home. I think I'll take a break and head out into the wilderness for a while. You know how to get me if you need me." He said before putting two fingers to his head and vanishing from her sight.

Bulma groaned and threw her hands in the air before continuing on her way toward the med wing. She knew Goku would say something like that. He always seemed to vanish into the wilderness when he was struggling with himself. The more that she thought about it she was glad Goku had declined her request. He'd not have been very much help in his current mindset.

'Looks like I'm on my own on this one. Please, Kami let me make it out alive.' Bulma thought as she took a deep breath, and headed in through the door. She swiftly retrieved the medications she needed from the cabinet, and prepped a syringe with a custom made anesthesia. She'd had no other choice, but to create a drug powerful enough to knock out a Saiyan when Chi Chi threatened to beat her down because she couldn't keep Goku down after Vegeta beat the shit out of him during their first encounter. She couldn't help the smirk of satisfaction when she thought about how well it had worked.

'I just hope Vegeta doesn't hate me for this.' Bulma thought as she exited the med. Wing and climbed the stairs that lead toward his room. She had a sneaking suspicion that in his current state he'd allow just about anything if it would ease the pain, but he was most definitely taking stock of all those things so when he came out of his Thrashing; he could unleash his fury on those responsible for those things happening. She cringed at the thought, but forced herself to enter his room. Kami help her if he swung at her she'd swing back.

As she opened the door she could hear Vegeta emitting a low rumble of a growl, but it was laced with pain. He'd switched positions, and curled himself around his pillow and was using his blanket as extra padding. She took a deep breath, and made her way to his side.

"Vegeta? Hey, I've got something to help." Bulma cooed as she gently ran her cool fingers against his heated flesh. She felt his forehead, and shook her head at how warm it was; even for a Saiyan.

"Leave me alone woman. I don't need anything you have to give me." Vegeta roared around the agony lacing his voice. He wasn't too out of sorts to not be able to guess her intentions were to drug him out of his mind. He wasn't about to lower himself to that point, and he still didn't trust human medications.

"Sorry Fuzz, but I'm not asking." Bulma said as she used his momentary distraction to administer the anesthesia. She was surprised when he watched her do it, but made no move to stop her. She wasn't sure whether he truly wanted it, but was too proud to admit it, or if he was just too debilitated to stop her. She had a gut feeling it was the former.

Vegeta hissed against the needle's prick in his arm, glared at the woman standing by his side. He prayed to Kami that his trust in her was not misplaced. He felt the sedative race through his bloodstream, and cringed when the cool liquid reached his heart to be pumped to the rest of his body.

"What are you doing to me woman?" Vegeta asked as he tried to shake off the fog that was wrapping itself around his head. He was more afraid to allow himself to slip into unconsciousness than he was to endure the pain that was to come.

Bulma felt her gut twist as she watched the fear play across his features. She'd never thought that would be present. Anger yes, fear never. She had a feeling why, but she wasn't about to breach that topic.

"Vegeta, I'm going to give you some pain killers, and this sedative will knock you out for a good twelve hours. I'm going to be right here beside you till you wake up, ok? So don't worry about a thing." Bulma said as she emptied a few pills into her hand, and made Vegeta swallow them with a sip of water from the glass by his bedside then took his tail in her hand. Vegeta stared at her from under half lidded eyes before lowering them to where she held his tail gently in her hand. With more effort than he wanted to exert he heaved a heavy sigh/growl and wrapped his tail around her wrist. Immediately after he used it to drag her over the side of the bed where he released his hold on his pillow, and curled around her tiny form; his head resting in the crook of her shoulder.

Bulma's eyes widened, and she tensed with his movement, but said nothing as he made himself comfortable. She knew exactly what he was getting at. He'd allowed her to drug him, but she was going to stay with him the entire time whether she liked it or not.

"You're right, and I'm going to make sure of that." Vegeta growled; his tail and hackles bristling for a moment before smoothing out against her skin.

'Oh what have I gotten myself into?' Bulma thought as she made herself comfortable in his tight embrace, and prepared for the worse. However, as fate would have it the extra warmth radiating off his fevered flesh, the light rumbling snore, and his overall presence around her was more relaxing than any sedative. She smiled contentedly before placing a chaste kiss against his temple.

'Sweet dreams prince.' She thought before her fatigue from the crazy events of the day caught up to her, and she followed Vegeta's lead into darkness.

Author's Note: Well, Bulma's got her hands full with Vegeta while he's out of commission. I wonder if the sedatives will work, and if Vegeta will be pissed about Bulma using them on him? Goku's also having an identity crisis, will he find that happy balance, or will his angst get the better of him? Find out next time.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24: "Guard Duty"

Author's Note: **CHAPTER CHANGE**! Please note guys that what had taken me so long with updating is this simple fact. I had no idea where I wanted to go with my story from this point to get to where I'm planning on going. I do not reread my chapters when writing my new ones so the fact that I'd not touched my fic. for so long is the reason behind the two chapters I'd written for this installment. Honestly I've been annoyed with myself since I posted this chapter, and I agree with you all now that I've decided to read my fic. from start to the point I stopped. So, forgive me for doing this, but I've taken the last chapter out, and added the other one I'd written as an alternate in its place instead. So, please don't hate me. I dislike when authors do this, but I felt it was necessary. SO, I will update sooner than I did on this one, and I do apologize for the wavering I've done. Hopefully this will be better…if not…please don't shoot me. I'm slightly losing inspiration to write with all the craziness that is my life. My brother recently threw a divorce at us, and my focus hasn't really been the greatest. SO, again, I do apologize for the inconvenience, confusion, and crappy chapter. I hope this alternate chapter is more to your liking…if not…I don't know what else to do.

Her eyes drooped and her head nearly fell from its position against her palm as she jerked awake with a start before her head could come in contact with the table she was sitting at. She'd parked herself by her surly house guest's bedside a few hours ago and hadn't moved since he'd had a particularly nasty bout of spasms. It'd been more like a seizure, but she'd experienced enough to know that it wasn't. After he'd had a few legit seizures she'd become more adept at telling the difference. She'd fallen asleep soon after he'd calmed, but had the misfortune of cramped joints from sleeping atop the desk…again.

She'd done her best to lower his ever increasing temperature with cold compresses, but after; determined his increased body temperature was actually a good thing. The heat was relaxing his muscles, making his thrashing a little more bearable for his body. She'd given him a stronger dose of pain medication, and after much deliberation, decided against maintaining his sedated state. He nearly took her head off for that one, but after they exchanged a few choice words; he calmed down a bit. The sedatives didn't work very well on him to begin with, and apparently didn't agree with him when he woke. Whatever was in their sedatives caused him to lash out aggressively due to a longer duration of disorientation after the drugs began to wear off. She rather liked to keep her head, and that forced her to play nurse.

His metabolism was through the roof, and if she thought he ate a lot before, she was on constant watch with him now. His caloric intake was incredible, but she understood why. Each time he awoke she made sure to have the healthiest and most filling foods available. His favorite being grilled steaks, potatoes, green beans, and the like. The only problem she had was that he couldn't even raise his head let alone feed himself so that task had fallen on her; to both their chagrin. She knew he was going to retaliate against her in some way for seeing him in such a vulnerable state, but what other choice did he have? It literally took every ounce of strength they both had to get him to the bathroom for baths and bathroom breaks. Oh the degradation. She blushed at the memory of accidentally walking in on him when she'd heard a thump. He had a nice ass she'd give him that.

She shook her head of the mental image that was now seared across her subconscious then rubbed her eyes before propping her head on her palm; elbow against her knee.

'Come on; wake up already so I can leave.' She thought as her foot began to bounce in agitation. So long as he was awake he was free of his spasms, and seizures. He didn't need her company, and most of the time vowed he never wanted it again. So, in preservation of her sanity, she would feed him, and leave him until he was asleep a few hours later. It was fairly routine for her after a few days, and she somehow found herself in sync with his sleep patterns which didn't help her in her work any. She was even more dependent on caffeine than before.

She'd only needed to call on Goku once to help her haul Vegeta's ever increasing weight back to bed when he'd had a seizure on her halfway across the room. He'd had plenty of them during the week he'd been down, but after her father had run some tests on him, and deemed everything normal; she chalked it up to his fever. Lucky for her; Vegeta never knew of Goku's assistance. The younger male had confided in her, and she'd found that his thrashing hadn't been remotely close to Vegeta's. He confessed that he'd merely been taken off his feet for a few weeks with joint pains that were more of an annoyance than anything. The barely concealed concern that marred his features as he stared at his downed senior didn't go unnoticed, and she frowned at the thought that even Goku was worried about him.

'You better come out of this soon fuzz butt.' Bulma thought in exasperation as she stared at his debilitated form. She ran her fingers through her hair before fisting and tugging it at her nape. She wasn't cut out for this. She was an inventor, and a scientist. He was sweating profusely, breathing heavily, and twisting and turning in his discomfort. Even in sleep he couldn't find rest. She sighed before retrieving the cool compress from the water basin on his night stand, and returning to the task of trying to at least keep him comfortable. He visibly relaxed and heaved a relieved sigh at the contact of cool, wetness against his tanned flesh, and she couldn't help but smile. She'd grown fond of him during the time he'd lived with her, despite his surly and sometimes downright macabre attitude, he was endearing in many ways. She'd caught him studying her a couple times during their bathroom trips, and he'd asked her on more than a few occasions why she was even bothering to help him. She'd answered rather quickly before she really had time to think about the gravity of her statement that she cared for him, and that she wasn't about to let him suffer alone. What worried her was the fact her statement was true. She did care for him, more than she wanted to. She knew what he was like, and she wasn't completely sure he would care for her in the same way, or if he was even capable of caring at all. It made her stomach drop at the thought, and she frowned before shaking the thoughts from her already jumbled mind.

"Kami, I need a break." She said on the edge of a groan while stretching her tired limbs. She rubbed her eyes tiredly as she stood from her spot and crossed toward the door. She took one more glance at his sleeping face before deciding it safe to venture down to the kitchen for more food, some coffee for herself, and a short break from "guard duty" as she'd dubbed it in order to shower. That sounded more appealing to her than bedside nurse. She'd gotten the image of a nurse Betty when her mother had called her that in jest, but she still wrinkled her nose in disgust at the idea.

"Bulma."

Bulma stopped in the hall as she heard her name being called, but made no move to turn around. Shortly, her father was beside her and the two continued her path toward the kitchen.

"He's still down?" Dr. Briefs asked as he gently ran his hand through his daughter's messy hair; trying to smooth the tangled strands.

Bulma heaved a heavy sigh before nodding her head. The two rounded the corner, and entered the kitchen where she immediately set about making herself some coffee, and Dr. Briefs in an act of compassion began making some sandwiches and soup for Vegeta. As much trouble as the boy was capable of causing, he couldn't help but admire his spirit and drive. He also couldn't help the relief and gratitude that flooded him after a few months of his residence with them. After getting to know the pup better, he couldn't help but see a bit of himself in the boy, and that eased his mind, and helped him get a better understanding of things. He'd also seen a change in his daughter, and couldn't begin to describe the elation he felt. Bulma had been slipping further and further within herself, and he felt that he and Goku were the only ones capable of seeing it. As much as he wanted to believe she'd fix herself; he knew that wasn't going to happen. However, the surly prince had proven to be something of a Kami send. His attitude and quirky behavior kept her on her toes, and whether she was willing to admit it or not; he was good for her in a way. She was always easily distracted, and when her mind began to wander; things never went well. Something was amiss with her, and despite his refusal to give up, he knew that he wasn't going to be able to help her.

"Thanks for helpin dad. He eats nearly twice his normal amount these days. I can hardly keep up." Bulma said as she leaned against the counter with her fresh cup of coffee. She could see that she'd pulled her father out of his thoughts and cast him a questioning look.

"Sorry dear, I was just thinking." Dr. Briefs offered as a pathetic excuse followed by a weak smile.

Bulma wasn't stupid, not by a long shot, but she knew damn good and well when to leave something the hell alone. Her father was a man of few words, and he wasn't one to talk about his feelings. Neither was she, and that was why they got along so well. To be honest, she liked Bunny, but she wasn't her real mother, and she just couldn't quite get to the point where she felt inclined to share the same frankness with her as she did with Dr. Briefs. He'd taken her in when no one would, and for that, she was grateful.

She offered him a small smile and a nod as she accepted the food capsules from his outstretched hand, and made her way back up the stairs. She spared him no extra glance as she exited the kitchen, and ascended the stairs.

'I don't know how much more of this I can take.' she thought as she stepped out of her shower, and wrapped a pink towel in her hair after drying herself off. She wiped the condensation from her mirror, and stared at her reflection.

She growled in irritation as she turned this way and that; surveying the damage.

"Perfect, just great, peachy!" She raged under her breath as she took note of the numerous bumps and bruises that littered her body. She knew he wasn't intending to cause her harm, but that didn't make it hurt any less. Her ribs had healed nicely over the course of his down time, but not as quickly as she'd have liked give the fact she kept getting half-assed rib shots from her downed guest.

"Bulma, are you in here? Are you decent?" Bunny called from the entrance of her daughter's room; knocking against the open door for good measure.

Bulma quickly pulled the towel from her hair, and secured it around her body before calling to her mother it was safe to enter. She watched as the blond haired woman stepped into her room, and leaned against the doorframe, and watched her daughter go about her nightly routine.

"Is he getting any better darling?" Bunny asked as she went to retrieve her daughter's sleepwear from her bed when she noticed it was needed.

Bulma waited for her mother to return with her garments. She took the offered items from her mother, and proceeded to put on her black underwear and sports bra, followed by her orange, navy, and yellow plaid, girl's boxer shorts. She tousled her hair till it lay in messy waves down her back, and swiped her bangs across her forehead before moisturizing her face, and putting lotion on her legs; all the while remaining silent.

"Bulma, did you hear me?" Bunny asked kindly; knowing her daughter had a lot on her plate, and mind. She noted all the bruising, and frowned. Her husband had assured her that their guest meant no harm, and she'd seen his thrashing firsthand. She knew it was true, but she just didn't like the idea of her daughter being injured.

"I heard you mom, sorry. I just don't know. One minute he seems like he's coming out of it, then he just takes a turn for the worst. Poor guy was in so much pain last night I stayed up all night massaging his knees and legs just so he could have some relief. The pain meds don't do shit for him, and he can't handle the anesthesia without vomiting, and we can't figure out what's causing the seizures so we can't give him anything." Bulma ranted as she finished rubbing her lotion in, and threw her hands in the air.

"Well, let's hope the poor dear gets back on his feet soon. I don't like seeing you this way." Bunny said with a hint of irritation in her voice that didn't go unnoticed.

"I'm fine mom. I'm just tired. He's been showing some improvement, and I'm sure it can't possibly last for much longer." Bulma said with a huff as she made her way back into her bedroom.

Bunny watched in silence as her daughter retrieved a book from her shelf, and headed back toward the door.

"If you need any help dear, you let me know." Bunny called as she followed her daughter down the hall; pausing at the break to address her daughter.

"Just keep the food coming mom, and we'll be in business." Bulma said as she waved her mother off dismissively as she continued on her way toward Vegeta's room. She hated being so short with her mother, but she was just too exhausted to really handle her mother's babying and questioning.

'Now I know why Vegeta avoids her like the black plague!' Bulma thought as she entered his room. She sighed and shook her head, a wave of empathy coursing through her chest as she observed her father trying to soothe the trembling man. He must have been making a real racket or her dad just happened to be passing by if he was in the room without her.

"Dad, what happened?" Bulma asked as she tossed her book on his bedside table, and rushed to his side. Vegeta's eyes were flickering slightly open and closed, and she was able to tell instantly that the trembling was caused by a minor seizure; possibly the smallest one he'd ever had.

"He had another seizure. This one was tame compared to what he's thrown at us before, and it didn't last long. If I was a betting man I'd say we're almost out of the woods with him, but I'll not place bets on someone as unpredictable as this man." The Dr. said as he rose from the cot by the surly Saiyan's bed in order to make room for his daughter to take her place by the male's side.

"I think I'm going to hit the cabinet, want me to bring you something, possibly a nightcap?" Dr. Briefs asked sarcastically as he eyed his daughter with a small smirk.

Bulma rolled her eyes in her father's direction before releasing a humorless laugh. She would love nothing more than a stiff drink, but with Vegeta; she needed to be on his guard, and any delay in reflex could mean her head.

"Um, no thanks dad, I'm good. Though I think I may drown myself the next time I leave you in charge." She chuckled as she threw his lab coat at him that was hanging on the chair behind her.

Dr. Briefs caught it effortlessly, and left the room without another word to his daughter. Bulma sighed in exasperation. She knew her father wasn't too keen on her spending nearly every minute watching over him, but she was grateful that he seemed to understand her need to do it. It was just who she was.

"You're going to owe me big time buster brown." Bulma said as she reached over to the bedside table to retrieve her book. She shot one last look at the man across from her before flipping open the cover, and fingering through the worn and discolored pages.

She sat on her cot reading for what felt like hours, taking a glimpse at his state every now and again. She just couldn't concentrate. Her bruises were starting to physically manifest, and she was starting to feel rather uncomfortable in her own skin. When he awoke she would need to take something to ease her pain and help her sleep. Looking at the clock on his bedside table, the glowing red numbers made her groan. It was a lot earlier than it felt. She was absolutely beat; in more than one sense of the phrase.

'They don't call it a "Thrashing" for nothing.' She thought humorlessly as she watched his eyes dart about under his eyelids, and his body twitch rhythmically to whatever sort of nightmare he was having.

"You better come out of this soon fuzz butt, you're really putting me through the ringer here. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you wanted me to coddle you." Bulma said as she gently reached over to run her fingers through his hair.

His scalp was blazing hot, and his hair was slightly moist with sweat. That didn't bother her, however, as she continued to soothe the man lying in agony beside her. She didn't pity him, no it wasn't pity, she felt something else towards him. It was something she just couldn't quite put her finger on. She slipped her hand away when she noticed his features soften and his body relax.

She set the book on his nightstand before opening the food capsules and setting the food out on the desk. She then turned back to her cot after retrieving her book, and sat in the center of the makeshift bed she'd been occupying for the past two and a half weeks, and resumed her reading. After a week spent bent over his desk in an uncomfortable chair; she'd had enough. She'd decided to move a cot into his room. If she was going to be on 24/7 watch, she at least wanted to be comfortable. She also figured if he was going to be an ass; she wasn't going to help him any more than necessary, which, unfortunately turned out to be quite a lot.

Her woman's intuition was that he was slightly milking things so he could escape before she had a chance to give him the physical okay, and she loathed that she felt responsible for him. She felt the same way toward all of her friends, but none of them gave her as hard a time as Vegeta did. The little she gathered from Goku and Vegeta, was that Saiyans were pack driven. They were gregarious in nature despite Vegeta's claims otherwise, and humans were the same in that regard. She'd not had those close interactions with her friends or other people as of late, and it was only natural for her to feel closer to Vegeta. Besides, she was spending nearly every waking hour taking care of him. She hated that fact because whether she liked it or not; they each filled a void in the other. She guarded and watched over him like a mother with young because of his complete ignorance of how things were supposed to be, and he protected her from any perceived threat due to her lack of physical abilities. It disturbed her greatly, but she allowed herself to relax slightly in his presence; if only to keep up her tough girl appearance despite the unease he stirred within her. Pack or no, the fact his kind and hers were similar in that regard irritated her more than it comforted her. She'd done everything in her power to stay distant from everyone, but for some reason he was like a flame, and she the moth. Eventually she knew her wings were going to be burned off, and she'd be damned before she allowed herself to be burnt again.

'I must be a glutton for punishment…that or a masochist.' Bulma thought as she shuffled her mental deck, and focused in on her book.

Hours passed like minutes, and she nearly jumped out of her skin when Vegeta let out a pained growl before shifting his gaze toward where she was sitting. It had only taken him a few days to realize that she wasn't going to leave his side. It was after the third day that he'd begun searching for her each time he awoke from his restless sleep. She hadn't missed that little fact, but the gravity of his sudden attunement to her whereabouts since she'd moved her cot in was lost on her seeing as how her mind was otherwise preoccupied. She grounded him. Her scent, her presence, everything about her, calmed him and helped him gather his bearings. If not for her; he'd have most likely already tore the compound apart.

"Woman." He groaned when he realized he'd gained her attention. His energy was still drained, but he did manage to give her hell. It was the only thing that kept the situation less awkward; for the both of them.

Bulma's eyes rolled heavenward as she snapped her book shut, and set it on her seat before moving to his side. He was breathing heavily, nearly panting as she checked his pulse and felt his head for a fever. She'd given up on a thermometer long ago when his temperature had blow three mercury one's to bits. She relied on feeling alone, and unfortunately for them both she'd learned long ago the most reliable way to gage someone's temperature. She pressed her lips against his forehead as she'd done before, and was grateful that he didn't freak out. He'd nearly lobbed her head off the first time, but after a rather embarrassing explanation; he'd settled down. He was even more snarky now than he was before. She could tell he was getting better, but his hormones were still out of whack. It was like dealing with a bitchy woman. He was definitely not fond of being down, confined to his bed, and least of all being cared for. She couldn't say she blamed him. She'd be the same way, but his behavior toward her at the moment was a lot different than where they'd been before his thrashing. She wondered if his disposition was being affected by his change as well. She hoped not, Kami could only help her so much, and his attitude was starting to get on her frayed nerves.

"If you're finished violating me woman, I require sustenance." Vegeta growled as he batted her away. She rolled her eyes and motioned toward the table. He glared at her before attempting to drag himself out of his bed. He managed to pull himself into a sitting position, but that was as far as he could manage before he had to rest; his breathing coming out in huffs. The insufferable woman was forcing him to push himself. Despite everything, he was well aware of his own physical limitations, and at the moment he was even more embarrassed and enraged at the fact the woman was forcing him to show those limitations by pushing him. He wanted nothing more than to wrap his hands around her throat and end her. The humiliation he was enduring in her presence was more than he could take. He growled to himself as he lay with his back against the headboard glaring at the blue haired woman who stood before him, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Fuck off. I don't need your coddling nor prodding woman. You're insufferable." Vegeta raged as he bared his teeth at her. He really did hate her for putting him through all the hell she had over the past few weeks, but his hate was offset by her sweet and gentle demeanor; even if he could see the rage lurking beneath the surface.

Bulma bristled against his verbal attack, and pointed her finger at him. There was only so much she was willing to take from him, and at the present moment, she wasn't about to put up with any of his shit.

Bulma watched his eyes twitch in the dim light, and could see the pain etched across his taught face. His eyes were lined with dark circles, and he looked absolutely miserable. The fact she could see the pain in his countenance only solidified her suspicions that he was in immense pain. She swallowed her snarky comment, and chose to be more productive. Screaming never really got her anywhere with Vegeta anyway.

"Here, I'll help you, but don't you dare swat at me. I've got enough bruises as it is, and I'm not above hitting you back." Bulma said with a small smile on her face as she made her way closer to his bedside. Oh how she wanted to wring his thick, corded neck!

She reached forward, and looped his right arm over her shoulders. He stiffened, and growled as he allowed her to assist him as he did his best to slide out of the bed on his own. She frowned, and felt her chest constrict at the sound. He had many different types of growls, and vocalizations she'd come to learn over the weeks, and the most common one was the result of extreme pain.

'He's trying so hard to hide it, but why?' She thought as she gently wiped the sweat from his brow with her hand. He was breathing hard, and she could tell he was struggling to fight back the pain, and settle back into the chair at the desk.

She wasn't completely against feeding him in his bed. After all, she really didn't want to cause him more pain, but he insisted in getting up, and walking around each day to ensure that he was not atrophying. She could understand that desire. The poor man was suffering from his thrashing, but on top of that he was bored.

"There, see, you're fine." She cooed as she ran her fingers through his hair; scratching his scalp gently when he finally reached his destination, and flopped down unceremoniously.

Vegeta closed his eyes, and heaved a great sigh. If there was one thing he relished in; it was her cool hands against his heated flesh. His body temperature had risen to nearly unbearable levels all in an effort to relax his muscles. However, the woman was more perceptive than he'd given her credit for. Despite the fact that he appeared catatonic most of the time he was in fact well aware of what was going on around him, what was being said to and about him, as well as what was being done to him. The woman would most likely kick his ass, or try to, if she knew he was privy to her pampering. He'd initially intended to snap at her the first time he'd felt her touch him, but was forced into submission when she'd used a cold compress against his forehead. It had felt wonderful, and she had enough sense to not try and lower his body temperature, but to only offer him some relief from the intense heat.

He couldn't help but purr as she caressed his head, and gently pulled on his hair. She was rather gentle with him, and despite his initial concerns with her touching him in any way, she brought immense relief to his aches with her kneading hands on his knees and legs. He wouldn't lower himself to asking her, but he wasn't above allowing her to coddle him if it meant relieving some of his pain.

'Weak.' His mind screamed at him, and for once he ignored it.

Bulma could tell he was starting to relax, and decided that feeding him while he was remotely comfortable would be better than waiting for his joints to flare up again.

"Alright, here ya go ya big galoot." Bulma joked as she removed her hands from his head. She knew he enjoyed it even though he threatened her afterwards, but since he was in such a state; she took liberties.

Vegeta watched her with interest. He hadn't missed her night attire, and although appealing, knew that it wasn't for his viewing pleasure she dressed in such a way. She'd been sleeping in his room by his side for weeks. At first it unnerved him, and he'd done everything he could think of to abolish her from his domain, but she was relentless.

He was about to scold her, but snapped his jaw shut when something dark caught his eye. His jaw tensed, and he could feel something in his gut twist.

"What the hell happened to you, woman?" He growled low as he stared at the angry black and blue mottled marks all over her body.

Bulma looked over her shoulder at him with confusion before following his gaze toward her exposed flesh. She blushed momentarily before turning around, plate in hand. She said nothing as she made her way back to him, set his plate of food on his lap, and returned to her cot.

Vegeta stared at her expectantly for a few seconds before lashing his tail out, and catching her wrist as she made to retrieve her book.

"I asked you a question, and I expect an answer woman." Vegeta raged as he stared at her. The longer he looked at those bruises the sicker his stomach felt. Had the weakling harmed her while he was out of commission? Was he that useless as his pack mate's protector?

Bulma didn't want to tell him for fear that upsetting him may cause more damage to his already depleted body, but figured there would be no dealing with him if she didn't. She heaved a sigh, and unloaded.

"You." She said simply as she tried to return to reading her book; using her free hand to flip her page.

Vegeta withdrew his tail from her wrist as if she'd burnt him, and his eyes widened in disbelief. He'd caused her that level of harm?

"I didn't… I…" He stammered as he struggled to get the words out that he knew needed to be said. He would be a fool to think she wouldn't come to any harm, not with her being so close by. However, the fact that he'd harmed her without even knowing bothered him immensely. Where was his self control?

Bulma, watched his struggles, and took pity on the man. After all, he was trying to bite back his pride in order to apologize for causing her harm. She knew he never intended to hurt her, and held no grudge against him for it. However, the fact that he was actually trying to apologize meant the world to her, and she couldn't figure out why.

"Hey, don't worry about it. You were seizing, it wasn't like you tried to hurt me on purpose. Had you meant to hurt me I'd have hit you back; if I lived." She laughed as she tried to lighten his somber mood with a light tap to his tail.

Her declaration fell on deaf ears, as did her swatting at his tail. He felt ill, worse than ill in fact. He'd made a promise to her, and he'd broken it. He said he'd never harm her, and he had. Unintentionally or not, he had harmed her. He had marred her flesh worse than even that weakling, scar face had. He turned away from her; suddenly losing his appetite.

Bulma could see what was happening, and decided to put an end to it before it could begin. Vegeta was the king of self-loathing. He liked to beat himself down to a level it was nearly impossible to pull him up from. She'd seen him retreat into his own mind many times, and it disturbed her greatly. She knew that feeling all too well, and refused to let him feel sorry for himself or attack himself without reason. An angry and irritated Vegeta she could easily handle; a depressed Vegeta, that was something else entirely.

Vegeta bristled, and snarled at the brazen female who so carelessly pinched the tip of his tail.

'Vile, vile woman!' He thought as a surge of testosterone shot through his tail, and into his body. He was about to scold her, but his eyes once again settled on her battered form, and he relented in his anger.

The look Bulma received sent a slight tremor down her spine, and she nearly squealed when his hand reached down to caress her hair. The immediate change from anger to something completely unreadable caused her heart to stop. He stared at her with a tenderness that she'd never seen, and it was at that moment she realized why he was so upset. He'd told her he wouldn't hurt her, and he had. She felt horrible as she watched the myriad of emotions flash across his features, and his jaw clench.

"Vegeta, I'm fine, really. You said it yourself, people get hurt during this thing, and I've been here the whole time. You've never hurt me consciously so why beat yourself up about it?" She wondered aloud as she stared at his ruffled form.

He said nothing in reply as he turned his eyes away from her, his hand resting at the nape of her neck gently. He just didn't have the extra energy needed to put up a fight or to explain himself to the little female. He didn't want to agitate her further.

It seemed to him that her disposition had changed throughout the duration of his thrashing. At first she'd been downright sickening with all her coddling, and concern for his well being, but as the days turned into weeks she was beginning to grow more and more agitated with him. Her patience was thin, and she became almost downright aggressive toward him at times due to her exhaustion. He could see it in her eyes. She was both mentally and physically drained. He'd not asked nor truly desired her assistance, but she'd offered it anyway. However, to say he wasn't a little disturbed by her back and forth approach to caring for him would be an understatement. It was as if she wanted to care for him, but at the same time was preparing herself for when he regained control of his physical self. He'd told her on more than one occasion that payback was going to be a bitch for what she'd forced him to endure. He'd been downright homicidal toward her at times; something he regretted for only Kami knew why. Though, instead of being cowed like she would have been before, she was showing a whole other side he'd never thought her to possess. She intrigued him, and he was certain there was something different about her. He wasn't sure what it was, but something was happening, something was changing between them. He didn't quite understand it, nor did he like it, but this sudden shift he felt with her excited him. It awakened something in him he'd never experienced before, and it terrified him. She was getting comfortable with him; just as she was with Kakkarot. He was getting a taste of the real Bulma Briefs, and for once, he wasn't irritated.

He quickly finished his meal, and heaved a satisfied sigh before mustering his strength to return to his bed. It wouldn't be more than a few days before he was back on his feet. The woman's parents he was certain remained unaware of that tiny fact, but he was sure the woman knew what his plans were. He'd desired to keep it a secret from all of those involved so when he was back to health he could simply slip away without their interference or insistence on further testing of his person. The excruciating pain in his body had ebbed away to a dull throb, and he'd been overcome with an extreme wave of fatigue. His body was recovering, and in a few days time he would be back to regular training.

"Hey, I'm going out for a few hours to restock. Mom is making more food, and dad is repairing some of the things you broke that I've not had time to touch. Do NOT move from your bed until I get back or I'll jerk a knot in your tail." Bulma threatened half-heartedly as she gathered his dishes, encapsulated them, and headed toward the door. She paused momentarily to make sure Vegeta intended to heed her warning, and tossed him the peace sign once he'd settled back into his bed.

'Now what the hell does that daft woman expect me to do?' He thought in irritation. He wasn't sleepy, yet he was completely exhausted. That irritated him, and he found himself scanning his room with his eyes for anything that may prove useful without causing the woman to screech at him upon her return.

'What the fuck is that?' He thought as he stared down at the dusty old book lying forgotten on his floor by the desk. He snatched it up, and fingered the tarnished and dinted gold symbol that adorned the front of the hard, black leather covered book. There were two winged beasts opposite one another with an unknown symbol behind them. It appeared to be a crest of some sort. The edges were capped in aged gold, and it had a leather and gold lock on the front. He deftly fingered the lock, and raised a curious eyebrow when he found it unlocked.

'Apparently the daft woman forgot to take this with her.' He thought as he popped the lock, and flipped the book open. He expected it to be a journal of sorts. However, his self-satisfied smirk melted into a deep frown as he flipped through the pages. Confusion was creased across his brow which was soon replaced by white hot fury. It was a journal, in fact, it was the woman's. He noticed an odd looking pen poking out from under the pages, and realized that she must have not written in it for years. What he'd read thus far was infuriating. Her life was not what she'd portrayed it to be, and the things done to her were completely unacceptable. She'd endured far more than most he'd come in contact with; yet she seemingly remained unaffected by it for the most part. It became apparent to him why she seemed to be so different. She had the ability to read others better than anyone because she herself was forced to hide her true self. She had way too many skeletons and dark secrets that her friends wouldn't understand, and the thought that Kakkarot may be privy to her experiences crossed his mind briefly. It would explain the younger male's overprotective nature towards her, and it built up a tiny shred of respect in him for the younger Saiyan. At least his pack mentality wasn't completely gone.

He was able to relate intimately with what she was going through. The mental damage that had been done left a huge mark on both of them, but he just couldn't fathom why she would give in. It went against everything he knew about her character. He was sure there had to be more going on than what he was aware of. However, instead of accepting fate and living a lie in order to feign normalicy for the sake of those around, he fought against everything, and held onto his identity with the last shreds of sanity he was able to piece together. She'd given more of herself than any other he'd ever known, and it made him hate her for allowing those fools to take advantage of all she'd sacrificed. Kakkarot may be their champion, but without the little female; he would have been dead before his first thrashing.

He slammed his fist down on the desk with such force the legs gave out, and he couldn't help the satisfaction he felt in breaking something. He could feel his strength returning; fueled by his rage. However, his exhaustion sapped the energy he gained like it was never there, but somehow managed to stand to his feet and cross the room to his door. He stopped momentarily to rest before he slowly made his way through the compound. He picked up the woman's scent, and was surprised she hadn't already left. He slowly made his way down the stairs, and bit back the growls of pain that threatened to give him away. The woman was in the kitchen, and he was a little more than curious. His tail flipped around in anticipation, but he was more anxious than he was excited. He really wasn't in the mood for her yelling, but his near insane boredom and curiosity drove him on.

"Mmmmmm. Must, have, coffee!" She groaned as she stretched her aching muscles. She'd gone through the cabinets, fridge and freezer three times while making her list, and still couldn't get the feeling that she was forgetting something out of her head. She'd set her list down, and set about making herself a pot, and couldn't resist the childish urge to stare at the pot while it brewed.

"Boo."

"AHHHHH, WHAT THE FUCK!"

THWAK!

"GOD DAMN IT WOMAN!"

Vegeta lay on the floor of the medical wing in a daze. He shook his head violently before collapsing into a ball on the floor in order to right himself. His movements were sluggish at best, and he felt extremely embarrassed for being so easily caught off guard.

"Seriously? What the hell, Vegeta?" Bulma asked as she watched him pick himself up from his position on the floor. She'd whacked him a good one when she realized she wasn't alone in the room, and had it been anyone else, she was certain they would have a nice red mark if not a bruise. She couldn't help the self satisfying smile that graced her lips at catching the surly prince off guard. The fact he'd fallen over a kitchen chair from the force of her blow only increasing her amusement; though she didn't comment for fear of angering him further. It only served to remind him that he was still not back to perfect health, and regardless of her feelings of irritation at the moment, she didn't want to lash out at him for such a petty offense. He'd done nothing out of the ordinary. He was an ass after all.

"What are you doing down here? You're supposed to be resting." Bulma growled as she took a few steps in his general direction; her joints popping and cracking as they settled back into place.

Vegeta let out a low warning growl of his own in response as her intentions became clear.

"Don't fucking touch me woman. I don't need your help." He spat as he warded off her outstretched hand. He was unsteady on his legs, but that didn't mean he wasn't recovering. He was weak, but staying in bed would only increase his fatigue. The pain in his body had dumbed down to a dull throb, and it was tolerable. The last thing he wanted was for the idiotic woman to confine him to his quarters once again. His cover had clearly been blown, and now that she was aware of his abilities to get around unassisted; he feared she would coddle him again.

Bulma raised her hands in surrender, and without a word snatched her book from the floor where it had fallen during his fall.

"You really shouldn't take things that don't belong to you. It isn't very nice." Bulma said with barely concealed malice. The look she shot the surly male caused his hackles to bristle, and a warning growl to rumble in his throat as he watched her move closer to him in an unfriendly manner. Something about her was setting him off.

Vegeta glared down at the tiny woman standing before him, and it wasn't until his brain registered their size difference that he became aware of the changes that had taken place over the course of the past few weeks. He suddenly looked himself over, as if seeing his body for the first time, before returning his gaze to Bulma's. He wasn't checking her out, not really, but she was the only real point of reference he had on how much his body had grown.

Seeing the sudden change in his demeanor and focus, Bulma followed his lead. It was obvious where his mind had gone, and she couldn't help the startled gasp that escaped her lips when it dawned on her just how much he'd grown. Before, he'd been roughly the same height as her; only an inch separating the two. Now, he was nearly a foot and a half taller than she was, and his form had filled out exponentially to accommodate his increase in height. She suddenly held her hand up, and was surprised when he didn't hesitate to place his hand against hers for comparison.

"Dear Kami, Vegeta, you're fucking huge!" Bulma said when he curled his fingers over hers; a smug smirk pulling at his lips. His tail swayed behind him lazily before coming up to wrap around her wrist as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Bulma stared at the appendage with renewed fascination. It had grown with him, and it was much larger than it was before. It was almost as big around as her forearm, and the fur was thicker, and much more luxurious than it had been before. It almost reminded her of a leopard's tail.

"What did you expect? I told you what would happen, didn't I?" Vegeta rumbled in amusement as he watched her appraise his new appearance. To say he wasn't pleased with his results would be a lie. He was nearly twice his original size, and it wouldn't be too farfetched to say he may rival Kakkarot in stature. He knew he was larger than the younger male; he had been before his thrashing. Kakkarot was much leaner in his build where as he'd been mostly bulk. The only difference then was his lack of height. He was eager to get back to his training, back to his prime health, and even more eager to test his newly gained strength against the younger male!

"You're still not 100% yet, but there's no need for you to stay in your room. Just don't even think about using the gravity room until your legs are steady." Bulma said as she poked him in the chest; eyes twinkling as his muscles rippled under his flesh, and he wobbled a bit before catching his balance; tail releasing from her wrist to assist him in his task.

Vegeta leveled her with a heavy gaze before giving her wrist a yank with his tail; hauling her flush with his chest. His nose barely touched hers, and his breath fanned against her face as he glared daggers at her. A low growl rippled through his chest, and he had to fight the urge to throttle her. His hormones were still erratic, and he had to reign himself in; mostly around her. She was infuriating, challenging, and she was doing it because she knew he was unable to retaliate; yet. He could see that playful glint in her eyes, and he couldn't help his anger at her amused expression.

"Do not presume to tell me what to do female. I'm on my feet, and therefore do not need your coddling, and your assistance is no longer needed." The ragged male grumbled as he snapped his teeth at her.

Bulma didn't so much as flinch away from him. Noticing that he wasn't going to give her the space she really needed she brought her finger up and tapped him on the nose. Vegeta snorted, and gave her a few inches space, but remained rooted to his spot before her as he awaited her response to his challenge. Bulma rolled her eyes at his antics.

"What's your deal, Vegeta?" She mumbled out as she turned back toward the coffee pot. Her hand hovered over the handle, and she was about to tap the glass when she felt a furry appendage wrap around her wrist once again, and heard a low warning growl right behind her ear.

"Don't play coy woman. You know exactly what I'm on about." Vegeta heaved as he struggled to keep his temper in check.

"Vegeta, if you're referring to what I think you are, then I'm only going to say this once, so listen up. I've been through and seen some serious shit. The psych ward was only part of it, and most of what I wrote in that book doesn't even begin to cover everything I've been through. Goku and I were friends for years before the others came along, and my dad has taken a huge risk in hiding all that shit for as long as he has. I owe my life to him, and I will do everything within my power to make sure that nothing happens to ruin him in any way because of my actions. If you know what's good for you; you'll stay out of it. I am perfectly capable of handling myself should the need arise." Bulma warned, her voice taking on an edge that took Vegeta by surprise. He recognized the look in her eyes, and he wondered exactly what other things had happened to this tiny female to make her the way she was. His tail uncoiled from around his waist, and swished around in angst at the thought.

"I could care less about your petty dealings with those weaklings, and I could care less what you do. As far as I'm concerned you serve one purpose, and that's to repair the GR, and to provide me with the training equipment I need to train." Vegeta growled as he turned his back on her. The anger he felt toward her was founded in his feelings of betrayal. It was as if she wanted him to expose every dark part of himself to her, yet she kept hers at bay with false smiles.

Bulma's eyes widened at the sudden coldness he was displaying toward her. She couldn't understand where it was coming from. If he'd read her journal, she figured he wouldn't harbor any resentment toward her for why she was the way she was. However, she was completely floored when he turned his back on her.

"Vegeta? Talk to me." She said gently. She could tell he was upset with her about something, and that was evident by how tightly his muscles were tensed, and the clenching of his fists. His tail had rewound tightly around his waist, and the tip was tapping against his hip; a dead giveaway to his agitation.

"What is there left to talk about woman." Vegeta growled as he turned his head to the side; glaring at her out of his good eye.

Bulma's eyes widened as her mouth made a silent "Oh" motion. He was sore at her for not disclosing this information to him earlier. Her eyes darkened as she squared her stance, and poked her finger at his glowering form. For some reason she couldn't place, she felt anger rising within her, and she was unable to stop herself.

"Alright, listen up fuzz butt. I've known each and every Z fighter a whole lot longer than you, and they STILL don't know. I'm sorry you've taken offense, but you're just going to have to get over it. If I haven't told my friends who I've known for years, why would I do any different with you? As I said before, I'll do whatever I need to in order to protect my dad. I hope you understand, but this isn't some television show drama. This could cause some serious trouble for me, my dad, and the company, and that is something we don't need at this point in time." Bulma said. He wanted honesty; he was going to get it. All she could do was pray he'd come around.

Vegeta turned toward her his tail fuzzed. Her words had struck a chord within him. His chest constricted at her declaration _"If I haven't told my friends who I've known for years, why would I do any different with you?"_ Something about the way she'd said it had made him want to put his fist through a wall.

"Apparently all humans have certain characteristics in common; you're all hypocrites. You require honesty of others, but there is no return on investment. So, what benefit is there in your concept of "friendship"? He asked genuinely as he stared at her with an unreadable expression.

Bulma's eyes softened as she considered his words, and sifted through to the meat of his statement. He was adept at hiding his hurt behind anger, but she was even better at reading him than she'd been before. Things were changing between them, and she couldn't help the constriction in her chest when she realized he'd become fond of her somehow.

"Listen, Vegeta. Other than this, I have been nothing but honest with you. We all have some skeletons in our closet, and just like you; I don't like showing mine off." Bulma said softly so as to help calm his nerves.

Vegeta's eyes widened, and he shot her the oddest expression. It was a cross between shock and confusion. Bulma's lip twitched on the edge of a laugh when she realized Vegeta was most likely thrown off by her skeleton comment. The poor man was still unfamiliar with so many of their expressions.

"Vegeta, I don't mean literal skeletons. It's a figure of speech. It just means we all have things we don't want anyone else to know about." She said, surprised that she was able to keep herself from collapsing to the floor in hysterics. Sometimes his facial expressions were priceless; especially when confused or concerned about something.

Vegeta visibly relaxed. He should have known it was another one of her sayings, but one could never be too sure with the life he'd lead, and the information he'd just been given. He cocked his head to the side, and leveled his glare at her. He was still sore at her for the past few weeks, and the drugs she'd pumped him full of. However, his ire had toned down, and for some reason he felt at peace with her. Her aura was slightly different, and it seemed to give off a calming vibe; one he was powerless to stop.

Bulma watched curiously as Vegeta sucked his tongue across his teeth once before turning. She said nothing as she followed him with her eyes as he made his way to the fridge.

"Why are you staring at me woman? Don't you have other things to tend to, like repairing my training equipment?" He groused as he stuck his head into the fridge to see if there was anything left he could make semblance of. He'd had a decent amount for lunch, but his appetite was ever increasing. He knew it would level off once his body was fully recuperated, however, until that time he was loathed to spend most of his waking hours eating to build up his reserves.

Bulma huffed indignantly, but said nothing as she shouldered him out of her way. She caught the death glare he shot her as she passed by, but pretended not to be amused.

"For your information, everything has been taken care of, and I'm not staring at you, I'm getting myself some coffee!" Bulma growled out as she fished out her favorite mug from the dish washer before pouring herself a cup of the fresh brew. She turned to lean against the counter as always, and regarded him with a playful expression.

Vegeta rolled his eyes before gathering everything he desired from the kitchen, and set about preparing his midday snack. He could feel her eyes on him, but did his best to ignore her. However, after five minutes of staring, his patience had worn thin.

"Woman, fuck off!" He said evenly, and his voice carried a hint of warning to it. He was in no mood for her smart mouth, and he wasn't sure he would be able to keep from knocking her through the wall if she continued to grate on his nerves. Bulma growled at his snarky demand, and his tail fuzzed up slightly at the sound. Regardless of what she may interpret his fuzzed tail as; he was quite turned on by her growling. Apparently she'd been around him too long. She was picking up on a few things she shouldn't.

Vegeta watched the blue haired female closely out of the corner of his good eye as she glared heatedly at him. He could feel his hackles bristling because of her silent glare. There was something unsettling about the woman. Despite her unchanged ki, her aura easily gave away her malice. It crackled between them in unseen waves, but he could sense it. It was as if her presence extended out in an invisible barrier around her; pressing against him. He felt somewhat smothered by her ire. It was a sensation he'd never felt, and frankly, he definitely didn't like the fact it was coming from her. It meant he was tuning into her, and becoming hypersensitive to her emotions; that wasn't a good thing for an unmated male Saiyan.

Bulma finally turned when the coffee maker beeped. She poured herself a cup, and eagerly took a sip. She sighed heavily as she felt the warm liquid smooth over her irritation like a brush through her hair; relaxing her instantly.

Vegeta let loose a rumbling growl of relief as he felt the woman's aura settle back to normal. However, he remained at the counter to eat his snack; he needed to stabilize himself. Contrary to what the woman and her father might believe, his weakened muscles weren't the cause of his instability; his tail's growth was. His tail was larger compared to his body now, and it was throwing him off balance. He smirked at the thought, and let his tail swish around behind him contentedly as he ate, after all the larger and longer a Saiyan's tail, the better.

Bulma smiled behind her mug as she watched Vegeta's tail slash through the air. She could see the pride in his eyes, and the slight twitching of his muscles gave away the fact that he was happy with his growth, and testing out his new body. She couldn't say that she wasn't impressed herself. She may have thought him attractive before, but she couldn't help but stare at him now. His boost in confidence was long overdue. Sure he was a narsasistic, sociopath, but most of it stemmed from his insecurities and his inability to predict the actions of others based on what he perceived as "normal". He was clueless about everything, and it was difficult for him to cope with being flooded with all the new rules, norms, etc. that were being thrown at him. It surprised her that he was doing as well as he was considering.

'Well, let's see how far we can go with this shall we?' Bulma thought with a cheeky grin on her face as she stared at the male before her. She had to suppress her laughter as she watched Vegeta's tail bristle. The man looked absolutely flustered by her sudden change in demeanor.

'Not so tough now, are we?' She sniggered to herself as she set her mug on the counter, and made her way to stand beside him.

Vegeta did his best to pay her no mind, but he could feel the lithe female's aura brushing against his. He scowled as he gnashed his teeth while taking a rather vicious bite from his sandwich, and turned toward her indignantly.

"Woman, back the FUCK off or you're liable to lose your head!" He raged as he smacked her rump with his tail as way of punishment for her intrusion.

Bulma started and gasped at the sudden sting against her tush, and without really thinking about the ramifications of her actions reached over and returned the favor!

Vegeta's jaws clamped down on his sandwich, his eyes widened dramatically in shock, and his body tensed.

'….'

He was absolutely stunned at her audacity. His mind was blank, and the shock was bare on his face.

Bulma laughed, and retrieved her mug from the counter and refilled it. She then turned to leave the kitchen, and just as she saw Vegeta finally start to recover she couldn't help but leave him with a few parting words.

"THAT'S WHATCHA GET!"

From the other side of the living room the good Dr. Briefs was heading toward the kitchen from his labs, and shook his head at the conversation he'd just overheard.

'This is not going to go well.' He thought to himself as he re-routed himself towards the garage; deciding to avoid entering the kitchen in favor of some carry out for he and his wife.

Author's Note: Alright, I put this chapter up as soon as I had the opportunity. Please don't shoot me. I redid this chapter in hopes to appease a few of my regular readers. I admit that I did go back and reread most of my chapters prior to this one, and the chapter update was a bit out of sorts. I WAS ALREADY HAVING PROBLEMS FOCUSING! That is why I had two versions up, and why some of you were so upset with me for updating then taking the chapter down. So, read review, and tell me what ya think of the altered chapter. Please don't kill me! Please don't kill me!


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